A Past Hidden in Boundaries
by NormalMortal
Summary: Yukari taught an Outsider how to make a gap, said that she'll tell him the secrets of his past. Rated T for some minor bad words, but it could change in the future. Warning: The picture doesn't have a connection with the story whatsoever.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer : Touhou and all it's characters are belonged by ZUN. I only own my OCs and this story. Any similarities on any parts of the story with another fanfic are unintended.**

 **Chapter 1 : Start**

* * *

Same morning. Same ceiling. Same bed.

*RIIING**RIIING*

I woke up to the same noise everyday.

"Ugh, not again."

I took my phone, turned off the alarm, and then looked at the clock.

"5.35… Monday… Oh well, I guess I'll-" I muttered to myself before I realized something.

"Oh yeah, it's holiday… that means…" I said before I threw myself to the bed.

"NO CLASS! WOOHOO!" I scream from the bottom of my lungs. Really, all I need was a good sleep from all this fatigue. I've had too much studies anyway, not that I'm the smartest in the uni, of course.

Oh yeah, I guess some intro was needed. My name is Yanto Bahar. Normal height, at least from my people's perspective. Black hair, definitely shorter than some protagonist in those anime I watched. Face, normal. Body, not too fat nor too thin. I guess everything about me is normal. So I wondered why I couldn't get any girlfriend until now…

After a short 'second sleep', I realized that I have an appointment with my friend in a café not too far from here. I looked at my phone again.

"12.59, no message, no miscall…" I muttered to myself again. It seems that he hasn't arrived at the cafe yet.

I decided to wash my face a little. No need for a bath, because I know he didn't took one either. But nevertheless, a change in wardrobe is a must. Of course, I can't go to a café with only a T-shirt and a boxer.

After changing I decided to look at myself in the mirror. Grey T-shirt covered with unbuttoned grey hoodie and black jean. Nothing too fancy, nothing too laidback either. Perfect. I decided to go before I noticed something very important. My laptop.

"That was close. I need you for my goal after all."

Well, it's not really a goal. More like an ambition, because today is the day I will beat the crap out of those cursed game.

* * *

"Hey…"

"Hm?"

"How is it?"

"How is what?" seriously, he's starting to annoy me.

"How is 'that', of course."

I sighed, "John…" I said after I paused the game, "…just go straight to the point, okay? You know I'm busy here."

"Sorry," he said, "it's just that it's almost past 30 minutes since you played and there's no sign of you winning yet. And you once said that-"

"The game only needs half an hour to be finished if you're good enough, I know. I almost beat the last boss if you didn't disturb me earlier." I sighed.

John Daniel. My friend since high school. You could even say that we're some sort of partner. We would always play together. Heck, he even followed me to this city. To the same uni, even. Or did I the one who followed him? But really, 10 years here and he still can't speak our language? I guess he skipped his lesson.

As for what game did I play, it is a game from hell. I repeat, it is a game from hell, made by a drunk Japanese guy. It is not only the game is from hell, the game itself IS hell. Imagine thousands, even millions of bullets flew in some strange pattern while your character has only a dot, I repeat, A SINGLE DOT to avoid being hit.

That game, the one John called "those crazy 2D plane-shooting like game" was none other than Touhou Project.

"Well sorry, I don't know if you're-"

"Sssttt, wait a second, this is the Last Spellcard." I said while focusing on the screen.

"I thought as much." He sighed. "By the way, you haven't ordered your drink."

"Black coffee, hot." I said while I quickly shift my focus to the screen again.

"As usual, huh? Well then, waitress!" he shouted at one of the workers.

"Yes sir, would you like to order something?" a waitress then walked to our table while holding a note and a pen. She seems to have a shoulder-length black hair, a little shorter than me, cute face, nice bo-ehem, I mean regular posture. Don't get me wrong, but despite with my focus to the game, I still noticed the surroundings pretty well.

"Ah yes. One black coffee for him, and a-"

"GAAAH!" I screamed. Dammit, I was THIS close to finish the game, if not for those crazy Spellcards!

"W-wh-what's wrong, sir?" she said, surprised by my scream.

"Don't worry about him, that's usual." Dammit John, you make me looked like a psyco here!

"Oh, and by the way, mine would be iced caffe latte." he continued.

"Okay sir, one black coffee and one iced caffe latte. Is that all?" she said after regaining her composure.

"Yes, that is all." He said again.

"Very well. If you need anything, just call me," she said while showed us her nametag, "and I'll be here shortly."

"Why, thank you," John said before making one last unnecessary comment, "Beautiful~"

Blushing, she quickly turned her back and ran towards the kitchen.

"Playboy." I said to him. If not for his blonde hair and European-like face, I'm sure he would already got a red mark on his face by now.

"Oh come on, Yan. A guy needs a refreshment once in a while." He said with such carefree manners, it annoys me.

"Don't make me say that to your girlfriend." I pointed my index finger to his face.

"N-no-no no no! Please Yanto my dear friend, anything but that, please don't say anything to Mia, I beg you!" he said while shaking my body through my shoulders.

"Haah…"I sighed. If I say no, he would keep begging to me for minutes. "…fine, fine. But at least clear the misunderstanding with her." I said while pointing my thumb to the kitchen.

"Yay! You're the best!" he said while hugged me out of the whim, luring attention from the other customers.

"Get...off…me…you…damn…homo…playboy!" I said while pushing him off.

"Hehe, sorry bro." he said, shrugging it off. Seriously, if you're not someone I know, I had send you off to the Oblivion by now.

"By the way…" he said after sitting in his chair again "…do you have any plan for the holiday?"

"No. Do you?" I asked him back.

"Well, I was planning to go back home." I think I know where this is going. "I was just wondering if you could-"

"No." I said sternly.

"Yanto, it's been 5 years. I know you don't have anyone to see in that city anymore, but you can at least stay at our house. Even my mom was worried."

I sighed. "Send my regards to her then. Sorry John, but this is my decision. I'm not going back to that house, or even that city ever again." I said, showing my resolution.

"Guess nothing can change your mind, huh?" he said while smiling sadly. "It'll be lonely there, you know."

"It'll be lonely here too." not that I care. "By the way, when will you go?" I asked, trying to change the topic.

"Tomorrow morning. That's why I wanna see you today."

"Really now," I chuckled, "you can at least send me a message."

"You'll reject me if I do that. But seriously, Yanto." He said while leaning forward, looking at me straight in the eyes. "You can't always live in the past, you know? Sometimes you just have to let go."

"I know that very well John." I said to him. "That's why I'm not going back."

* * *

"Damn that man…" I muttered to myself. Not only did he left earlier, leaving me with an unpaid bill, he also tried to bring 'that' up again. I know it's been 5 years already. At this point, anyone who suffered the same circumstances would already shrugged it off and move on with their lifes, but not for me. I don't know why, but everytime someone try to bring it up, I could feel my blood boiling over, my heart hurting as hell, and even a light headache. The doctor said it was fine, as it probably just some light trauma. One thing for sure is that whenever I remembered that day, what I could feel was not only sadness. It's not anger either.

It was curiosity. It's as if there's something wrong with that day but I couldn't figure out what.

I looked at the sky, remembering my conversation with John earlier.

…

" _So, knowing you," he said "you'll probably just gonna play those games all day, right?"_

" _Yep. That's my plan from the start." I said stating the fact._

" _Don't you have anything better to do? Like hanging out with your colleagues?" he asked worryingly._

" _Nope. Not a chance. There's no way I'm gonna waste my energy for some useless chats."_

" _Seriously dude, get some life." He sighed. "I know I've said it over a million times already, but…" he looked at me "Why do you keep playing those games anyway?"_

…

I always answered that question with a simple shrug, but I know that very well than anyone. Touhou has saved me from my depression after 'that' happened. It also one kind of game I could truly enjoy. At first I looked at it as a way to escape my life. Now I see it as my second world.

That, and because I probably fell in love with it.

My train of thoughts was interrupted when I saw someone with charming beauty walking past me. She is as tall as me, a little higher because of her white high-heels. She had a nice posture, filled with meat in the perfect places. She also had long blonde hair, covered by a white straw hat with a purple ribbon, covering most of her face from the sun. I couldn't recognize her face but I could identify a little about her clothing. The girl-no, the woman wears a purple knee-length dress, showing her pure white skin that was shining as if it has a light on it's own. She also wears a white unbuttoned short-sleeved sweater, showing her ample bossom, which I noticed first, thanks to my perverse brain. She also holding a white handbag on her right shoulder. I couldn't embrace her beauty with my eyes more because of my walking speed. However, when she passed on my left, she whispered something on my ear.

"I'll see you tonight~" was all I could hear from her. She said it very clearly with such playful but serious tone that it made me… shiver. I could feel that my body was chilling all over because I know, whatever that woman was going to do, she was up to no good.

As I glanced to my back to see the woman once again, I noticed that whoever, or whatever that woman is, she was already gone. I was staring to nothingness for a good thirty seconds. Weird, there's no human in this world having an ability to just suddenly 'gone'. Unless if she's even a human to begin with. My train of thought was halted once again by a voice from someone from my right.

"Ada apa, dek? (What's wrong kid?)" He is, after I glanced, was just a regular barber that was staring at me since earlier.

"Ah, nggak apa-apa pak. Oh ia, bapak liat ibu-ibu tadi nggak? (Ah, it's nothing sir. By the way, did you see that woman earlier?)" I asked him.

"Ibu-ibu yang mana? Dari tadi kamu sendirian kok, nggak ada yang lewat didepan toko saya selain kamu. (Which one? You're alone since the first time I saw you, after all there's no one walked past my shop except for you)" he stated, earning a curious look from me. I decided to just shrug it off and go straight to my apartement.

* * *

It's already 7 PM when I glanced at my phone. Really, playing game all day is tiring, even if I played it in a sleeping pose. Well, the game itself is not a regular game either. It needs full attention from me if I actually wanted to win. I have to admit, I'm no pro. 6 months and couldn't even passed Normal Difficulty is an embarrasement for me.

The game itself has 4 difficulty, starting from the easiest are Easy, Normal, Hard and Lunatic. Take note that Easy doesn't mean 'easy difficulty', as I even need as much as 3 months worth of playing to even beat a game in Easy. I read in some people's post that admitted that they only need as much as 3 months to master the game in Normal. Looking at this, I started to think that this game is not for me. But I couldn't stop. I don't wanna stop. Deep in my heart I knew that I have to beat that game no matter what.

As I was taking a break from playing, I decided to read some fan fiction from the net. Touhou doesn't really have deep, detailed story like some anime or light novel. It only has a brief character back story explained by the GM and a little conversation between the characters. What it has, however, is numerous fan fiction novel, doujinshi and even some TV-grade fan-made anime, something that no other game, manga or anime has. It shows how dedicated the fans are to the franchise.

In the middle of reading, I decided to think about the event this afternoon. The street I walked to is a fairly busy street with many cars and bikes running over. There's no one there except for some shop keeper because it was afternoon and it was really hot. That barber should've noticed her, but he didn't. I tried to imagine her face but failed because I didn't have a chance to look at her more. What makes me worried is her sudden disappearance.

If she was a human, then she must be have some sort of super power to make herself unnoticed, probably some kind of ESP. If she was a ghost, suddenly appeared from nowhere and then vanished the second after is a trivial matters for her. If she was a youkai however...

I then remembered her appearance and choice of clothing.

Long, blonde hair,

Pure white skin, almost like a foreigner,

Nice body, ample boss-wait, stop it you stupid brain!

Now where was I? Oh yeah, clothing.

Purple and white clothing…

Blonde…

Purple-white… Could it be…?

"…nah, it's impossible." I said to myself. After all, there's no way a fictional character could just appeared in front of you, right?

Stopped my thought, I continued to read the fan fiction. Hm... I noticed that aside from fan fiction, Touhou also have a lot of fan-made crossover. What makes it easy for Touhou to have a lot of crossover, is because of her.

The border youkai.

The power to manipulate border, as far as I know it, knows no boundary. That makes the user of such ability to having a power far beyond anyone in Gensoukyo. Some even considered her as, if not stronger than, a god. The most well known manifestation of the power was the ability to open a 'gap' that connects one place to another. Such ability gave the user a nickname 'gap hag'. It makes the border youkai to easily enter another realm as free as she want. Usually, she do so because she felt some power, or being, that could be a danger to Gensoukyou and it's people. The other reason is because she was simply, bored. What she usualy do afterwards was to send another people to take care of the anomaly. Or, she could send the anomaly to Gensoukyou instead and let it's resident do the deed. It's rare to see her taking care of the problem by herself. She likes to watch from afar with her ability to make sure nothing goes wrong. Well, being such a powerful youkai probably didn't change her lazy behavior.

"I wonder…" I mumbled to myself while I still deep in my thought. "If she suddenly drag me to Gensoukyou, for what purpose could it be?"

"Oh, for what purpose indeed~?"

My body froze as I hear this statement. 'No, it's impossible' was my first thought. 'Is that really her?' was my second. 'Turn your head, Yanto!' was my third. I decided to abide the third thought. To say that I'm surprised was an understatement.

I was excited.

I was in awe.

I was…terrified, because I know who said that.

What awaits me in the source of the voice was a woman of unmatching beauty. Dark golden eyes that seems to match her long blonde hair. Pale pink dress under a purple Chinese tabard with various Trigrams covering her body. Pale pink mob with a thin red ribbon covering her head. A fan in her left hand and a pink parasol in her right, resting on her shoulder. She had a face that is as beautiful as a goddess, but also as sly as a fox. As if she had controls over anything and everything. As if she had figured everything out.

That woman was no other than Yakumo Yukari, The Border of Phantasm herself.

"Fufufu, it seems that you have lost in words. What's wrong, human?" she said. While I was still in a daze, the only words I could muster was…

"Your parasol."

"Hm?"

"Close them. You'll get struck by lightning." Damn, that's not what I wanna say! It seems that my thinking skill is drastically reduced when in daze. As if thinking about my words, she closed her eyes, folding her hands together and hummed.

"Hm... it appears that superstition is still strong in this part of the world. That's not a problem though." She said while nodding in understanding. Luckily she didn't thought of me as a weird person.

"Nevertheless, I think that an introduction is in order. You seemed to already know about me already, right?" she continued while closing her parasol.

I sighed to relax myself. "I guess you're right. Yakumo Yukari-san, The Border of Phantasm, the one who governs Gensoukyo's Border and the one who helps in it's creation, isn't it?" I stated the fact.

"My, you're quite informed, boy. How about introducing yourself next, then?"

"At this point, I won't be surprised if you already knew who I am. So I guess we could just call it off." I said.

"But it's a bad manner to not introduce yourself to your elde-I mean, your guest, right?" Isn't it in reverse though? But, whatever. It won't end soon if it goes on like this.

"Fine. My name's Yanto Bahar, 22 years old. But you could just call me Yanto. I'm just your regular everyday college student."

"Not much for an introduction, isn't it. Next, why don't we just sit and take some breath first before we move to the main topic?" she said.

"I was already relaxed before you come." I grumbled.

"Fufufu, sorry if I disturb you." She shrugged it off just like that. Before I could react, however, she continued "Do you have tea and some snacks? It will be a long chat after all~." she said as if ordering me. I could feel my blood boiling a little.

"Just wait a second." I said while grumbling, again. My stock was already thin, dammit.

* * *

"I must say," she said after putting down her tea cup on a nearby table.

"Hm?" was all I could respond after putting down my coffee. She was sitted on my bed while I'm on the floor because of the lack of chair. I don't have any bed frame, so she sitted in my eye level.

"I'm quite surprised after seeing how you react after our first meeting. Normal people would either frozen in fear or just ran away after seeing me for the first time. You, however, were not showing any kinds of emotion except of a little lost in word." she continued.

She's right. I still remembered those tiny sparks of fear the first time I looked her in the eye. But a little after that, it's gone. It's as if I never feared her at all.

"But it makes the conversation easier, so I didn't see any problem with it." she continued again. She didn't looked it as a serious matter, so I just shrugged it off.

"Now, you're probably wondered why did I travel such length, to another dimension even, just to have a chat with you." Another dimension, huh? So that Multiverse theory were probably true.

"Not really." I said in an uninterested tone. "Knowing you, you're probably just bored again. Then you choose a random human from a random dimension to take him to Gensoukyo, trying to make his life more miserable than it already has, while you looked from afar with your gap. Am I correct?"

"Oh my~. I know you're smart but I don't know you're THIS smart." She said, trying to annoys me.

Liar.

I knew very well that despite her sly behavior, she wouldn't go as far as to bring a potential trouble to Gensoukyou. She loves it too much to do it. After all, she's wearing her Chinese tabard, her work attire. It means that whatever she's doing here, it was not for fun. I'm not gonna let her know this information now, though. I'll try to play dumb for now.

"As expected from the gap youkai. Very well then, when will we go?" I asked.

"As soon as you're done with your lesson. It will be quick but serious, knowing that it has already late. I wouldn't want you to transfer us to the unknown after all." She said. Wait…

Lesson?

"What kind of lesson?" I asked. She then unleashed her trademark mischievous grin.

"The Boundary Lesson, of course."

"What?"

"The Boundary Lesson." She said repeating the words. "I'll personally train you to open a gap from here to Gensoukyo. Note that I wouldn't teach you how to control other borders, since I don't want you to bring any trouble." She ended her explanation.

"Wait a second… I though the power over boundary can only be used by you."

"Not quite. It's actually could be learned by anyone, as long as they're smart enough, and diligent enough. But don't tell that to anyone, as it could bring troubles." Does this mean that I'm smart by her standard? Man, that's quite the flattery.

"Before we start, let me tell you some things you might need to know." She said as if not waiting for my approval. I guess saying 'no' now won't change a thing.

"Okay."

"First, I would only teach you how to make a simple gap. However, as the time goes by, I might reconsidered to teach you a little about borders. Second, you could only open a gap with my approval. Note that any attempt or experiment on gaps and borders aside from my watch is prohibited. Third and the most important. While it's possible for you to learn about borders later on, there are some that you shouldn't manipulate at all cost. First…" she started counting with her fingers. "…is the border of possibilities and impossibilities. Second, the boundary of existence. And third…" she looked at me with her golden eyes, "…is the border of life. The list could expand at a later moment but it certainly won't loose any of it's component."

I thought about it a little. So, she restricted my learning and possibly my ability. And she didn't want me to mess with the three borders. First is probably because she didn't want me to change the rules of physics. Second is because she didn't want anything to just suddenly vanished. And the third, is because she didn't want me to awaken anyone from their death.

Why would I want that anyway?

"Okay, Yukari-san. But first I wanted to ask you something."

"Just Yukari is fine. And what could that be?" she asked.

"Why me? Why choose me over millions of people on this planet? I'm not someone you could call 'special' or anything." She must have some sort of reasons. Knowing her, she probably won't answer it directly, but I could at least get a hint. "And also, why should I agree with you?" She showed me her trademark devious smile.

"Ara, showing your sharpness again, isn't it. That's one of the reason as to why. I could see a lot of hidden potential within you." She said. A regular choice of words, considering she probably didn't want me to know just yet. "The other is that I wanted to help you with your question."

"My question?" I raised my left brow.

"Yes. You wanted to know about 'that' day, do you?" I could feel my brain twitched as she uttered those words. Great, another headache. I hold my head with my left hand, trying to ease the pain.

"W-What do you know?"

"Everything."

"…"

"Need some help with that?" she said, pointing her fan at my head.

"It's okay, it'll be gone in another minute." I said still holding my head.

"That won't do. We don't have much time." She said while opening her fan and covered her mouth with it, clearly hiding her smile. "Feeling better now?"

I didn't feel any pain after that. "Thanks."

"It is my pleasure. Now,…" she closed her fan, "…ready for your lesson?"

Should I agree to her? This could be my only chance to go the world I could only dreamed of. And she knows about 'that'.

I sighed. There's nothing wrong in knowing, right?

"Yeah."

* * *

Three hours have passed since the lesson started. I looked at my phone that says '22.27'. I don't know what I expected when she teached me…math. Yes, math. She told me various things like matrix, integral, limit, log, etc. and it's application in boundary manipulation. I was surprised that I could actually understand at least 80% of her words. Math is not always my favorite subject in class, as I'm not very good at it.

"And that ends our lesson. Any question?" she said after returning the whiteboard she conjured back to her gap. She now looked like a real teacher with her square-framed glasses, if not for her weird choice of clothing.

"No, at least for now."

"Well, as you already learned the most basic of making a gap,…" wait, three hours and we still at the basic? "…it is time to make one! Now stand up. Come on, don't be shy!" she said it like a kindergarten teacher. I stood up beside her.

"Now, as you're a begineer, making a gap on air might be too 'high level' to you. Let's try making one on a medium first. For example, that." She said as she pointed her finger to the clearing on the wall. "Put one of your hands one the wall and concentrate."

I nodded. After I put my right palm on the wall, I closed my eyes. I tried to clear my thought out of anything unrelated on making borders.

"Now try to make one just as I told you how." I nodded. While there's a lot of math and theory behind making a gap, the practice was easier. First, I tried to imagine the target, which is Gensoukyou. I imagine the scenery, like the Youkai Mountain, the Mysty Lake, the SDM, and lastly, the Hakurei Shrine. Then, I tried focusing my 'life force' to my palm. Yukari said that it won't harm my life, as it always recharged especially when one's relaxing. It won't reduce my life either. Last, I push the force out of my hand, trying to open the 'fabric of the universe', as Yukari put it.

"Open your eyes." Said the gap youkai. As I peek through my eyelid, I couldn't help but quickly opened my eyes in surprise.

What I see is a darkness on the wall which I put my palm earlier. While Yukari's border looked like a nice 'tear' in the fabric (heck, her's are even decorated with ribbons), mine looked more like someone just punched right through the wall, leaving a black hole that has no end.

"Wow, I could actually make one!" I said in surprise.

"Hm… not bad for a begineer. It could probably hold up to three days at most. Impressive indeed."

"Three?" That's a long time, isn't it?

"Why yes. While mine could hold up as long as I want because I always supply it with my power, you on the other hand, already cut your connection with the gap the moment you open it. But it could be learn later on." She said as her hand embraced the opening of my gap.

"So, I lost control of my gap?" I asked her.

"That is correct. Don't worry, I could close it whenever I want to." She answered.

"Now pack your things and don't bring too much. I will wait outside while you change." She said while looking at my body. Clearly, a sleeveless tanktop and a boxer is not a right choice. She then walked outside, not bothered to open a gap instead.

Let's see. I think my earlier attire will do. As I put on everything I noticed something on my desk.

Dad's watch.

It's actually just a normal silver-colored watch made of aluminium. What makes it special is that it doesn't need any battery. I only need to shake it at least once a day to turn it on. Normal movements like walking-or even only my heart beat-could also recharge it's power. I'll need it if I wanna go to an electricity-free land. I changed the time on the watch to Japanese time. "00.35, Tuesday." I mumbled. After packing some cloth in my bag, I called her.

"Okay Yukari-san, I'm done." I shouted.

"I told you not to use –san." She said while showing a fake pout through the open door. "I know! How about calling me Yukari-onee-chan inste-"

"Yukari-SAN." I interrupted her. "Shall we go?"

"Mo~, you're no fun." She said, still showing her fake pout. "Well, what are you waiting for? Just jump right through it."

I looked my room for the last time. I regreted not cleaning it before. "Well, here goes nothing." I said while jumping through my gap.

* * *

What I noticed first is that I'm flying instead of walking. It feels just like swimming but without any body movement. Instead, I just focused my mind and make my body move on it's own. Yukari followed beside me. Second is that the gap consist of…nothing. There's no eyes like Yukari's gap as far as I looked.

"Yukari-san, why does my gap empty? Yours seems to be filled with eyes, but not mine."

"Don't you remember what I just teached you? A gap is a representation of the maker's soul. Why your's are empty is because your gap haven't connected with you just yet. Don't worry, it will change the more you use it."

So the eyes are the representation of her? Like, eyes that sees everything? Possible, considering her as the overseer of Gensoukyo.

As we floated, I could see a tiny spark of light coming from the end of the gap.

"It seems that we made it. Go on, you go first." Yukari said as she pointed to the light. I just nodded and continue straight to the light with eyes closed.

When I opened them, I could see the dark sky and the white moon. I see that it's still night here, considering the time difference. And then I looked down.

"OH MY- CURSE YOU GAP HAAAAAAAAAA-"

"You're welcome~."

I fall. The ground gets closer and closer to me. Or is it the other way around?

"AAAAAAAAAA-" I screamed from deep within my lung. Well, there goes my adventure in Eastern Wonderland. It's sad to end it like this.

Wait, no! I don't wanna end it like this! It's my only chance to explore the land I can only dreamed of. And there's no way in Hell of Blazing Fire I would end it with my death. I try to fly as hard as I could. I focus my inner power to make myself fly, which is failed. I try again, clapping my arms as if it were wings.

How stupid of me. I'm no bird nor a bat.

And then, everything went black.

* * *

 **Well, there goes my first fanfic.**

 **This story is actually already in my mind for a long time. I only changed it a little and there it is. This story'll be very OC-centric, but I'll try to make another chara's POV and maybe their backstory later. Updates will be slow because of reasons, but I'll try to upload it ASAP. English is not my native language so I'm sorry for any miss-spell and miss-word.**

 **Any comments, reviews, opinions and suggestions are extremely welcomed. :v**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer : Touhou and all it's characters are belonged by ZUN. I only own my OCs and this story. Any similarities on any parts of the story with another fanfic are unintended.**

 **Chapter 2 : S** **unday Mor-I mean, Tuesday Morning**

* * *

White.

Pure white.

It's the first thing I noticed when I regain consciousness.

I looked to the left and right, up and down, front and back.

Nothing. There's nothing here except for me, white land and white sky. There's not even a cloud nor the sun. There's nothing-

"Are you sure?"

I jerked my head to the left and saw… a mirror?

Wait, that's not right. Why's my reflection smiling when I clearly sporting a confused look? And why is he squatting when I'm sitting?

"That's because I'm not a mirror, stupid. I'm not even you to begin with."

Huh? Then, who-

"In a sense, I'm you. But in another, I'm not."

…okay, this is confusing. Is this a dream?

"No. Should I explain?"

Yes, please.

"Okay, but it'll be long. First, I'll tell you who I am." He said while sitting beside me.

"I've tell you earlier that I'm not you. Well, not entirely. I'm what you can call your Optimist Mind. I'm the one who tell you to go forward when in doubt. In short, I'm what you call your 'Yes-Man'." And for where we are, well, we're in your subconsciousness."

Confusing, but makes sense. So, it's like I have two mind in a body, right?

"Well, no. Like I said, I'm you. Even though I said that, it's actually just your brain telling, well, yourself to go on. I'm just your mind visualized as a person. What's that called, embi, embu…"

Embodiment?

"Yeah, that's the one! I know I'm not stupid!"

Okay, you started to sound like Cirno there. So, if you're the optimist, then surely there must be…

"Yup. Your Pessimist Mind. She's the one who tell you to go back when you're facing a danger. Shortly, she's your 'No-Girl'."

She? So my pessimist side is a girl?

"Yup again. But there's nothing to be worried about. She's still you, in a sense."

That's what I'm worried about.

"Really bro, it's no big deal. Heck, she's even kinda cute for my standard."

…

"What? Something wrong?"

No, it's nothing. It's just, ugh… well, whatever. It's a surprise, but not unexpected. So, where is she?

"She doesn't wanna come out, saying things like 'he'll hate me when he see me'. *sigh* Man, even though the matter involves her the most."

Wait, what matters?

"I'll tell you later. But first, let me drink a little. *glug* *glug* *glug* Ah, that's the stuff."

Wait, where did you get that bottled water?

"It's your mind, remember? Just imagine something and it'll be there."

…you're right! Look, I made an iced lemonade!

"What did I tell you. Now let's get serious. You do remember what happened last night, right?"

Last night? *glug* *glug* You mean when Yukari teach me about gap?

"Yup. Don't you find anything strange there?"

Not really. Asides from why she wanted to teach me, everything's normal.

"That's only one. Let's change the question a little. Do you FEEL anything strange last night?"

What do you mean?

"So you don't. Expected."

Wait, I don't understand. What-

"I'll give you another one. Why did you accept Yukari's offer?"

Don't just cut people when they talk. *sigh* Well, first is because she'll take me to Gensoukyou. Second, is because she knows about 'that', right?

"Okay, change of question. Why did you accept Yukari's offer, so easily?"

…what?

"Look, bro. Even with how much you like Touhou and with how you really wanted to know more about 'that', there's no way you would accept her offer just like that. There's a lot of thing you still have to do in the Outside World, like saying goodbye to John for example."

What are you implying?

"When Yukari offering herself to teach you, you should've said 'I'll think about it', or at least something like 'I'll finish my business here first'. But you're not. Your Pessimist Mind should've taken control of your mind, but she didn't. She said that there's something blocking her from doing her job. Like, she wanted to move, but she can't. And when you plunge deep into your subconscious, that's when the force stop. Oh, and if you're wondering about me, the case's similar with her, except I was the one forced to take the control."

…Yukari…

"Yup. We think that Yukari somehow play with your border. I don't know why, but we've come to a conclusion : she really wants you to be in Gensoukyou, no matter what."

…

"And there's one more question that we still can't figure out. You've already asked Yukari, but she didn't give any definite answer. Why you? Why us? If she wanted a random Outsider, she could've just choose one from her world, not someone from entirely different universe."

…why…

"That's what we don't know. And there's nothing we can do except giving you some advice. Remember, if you feel something's not right, no matter how insignificant that is, don't hesitate to go back. Even with how much you like Gensoukyou, with how mind-stunning this place is, it's still a hell. A Bullet Hell, that is."

…

"Hey, don't be so tense, okay. I'm not asking you to be so serious or anything. Just take it slow, keep calm, but not too slow. Got it?

…got it. Thanks man. I don't know if I'll ever find that out if you didn't help me.

"Well, it's actually her that's asking me for help. But, 'twas no problem."

*chuckle* It feels weird to thanking myself, you know. Will we meet again?

"Time will tell, and next time we meet, I'll be sure to bring her to see you. Speaking of time, look at your watch."

Why? It's six…thirty…

Why's…the world…spinning….so…dizzy…so…..sleepy…

* * *

Same morning. Same Ceiling. Same….wait….

This isn't my bed. It's not even a bed to begin with, it's a futon! And that's not my ceiling. No one uses a wooden ceiling this day and age. Am I kidnapped?

Wait, I think something's happened last night, but I can't seem to remember any of it. What happen… what happen…what…

Oh yeah, last night Yukari teach me how to make a gap, and then I entered the one I made. And then I came out from the gap and then I…fall...

Thinking about it, I guess it's not her fault that I came out in the middle of the sky, considering it's my own gap. But never mind that. Did I hurt somewhere? …it seems I'm okay, there's no bruises or blood, and I can't feel any pain at all. Did Yukari broke my fall with her gap somehow?

I think I'll need to thank her for that.

" _Your welcome_ _"_

…on a second thought, I guess I'll beat her to death instead.

"… _don't hesitate to go back…"_

…my Optimist Mind… now I remember. I guess Yukari really did play with my boundary. And there's no telling what she might do to me next.

I'll keep that in mind. But that's that, and this is this.

As I looked around, I noticed that I'm in the middle of a Japanese-styled room. The floor is made of tatami, the walls are made of, um, some paper-like thing. My clothes, cellphone, wallet and watch are still with me. Good, that means no one touched my stuff me when I sleep.

Am I really in Gensoukyo?

"Ugh…"

I noticed the sound and the movement on my right. As I looked, I realized that I'm not alone in this room. Someone is sleeping in a fetal position, facing his/her back against me. The person had a rather long, unattended black hair and using a white night dress which make me realize that the person is a she.

Great, did I just slept with her? One night in Gensoukyo, and I already did that?

I better get out before she wakes up and get some funny ide-

"Suika, I told you not to wake me up so early in the mor-…eh?"

"…"

"…"

"Um…"

"…"

"…good morning?"

"FANTASY SEAL!"

"GAAH!"

And then, everything went black, again. What a great way to start a morning.

* * *

"Gyahaha *hic* hahaha, so you just shot him on the spot? Man, that was too *hic* much!" A loli who reeks of alcohol laughed at the scene in front of her. She has long ginger hair that tied on the end. She also wears a red ribbons on the back of her head. She wears a white, seemingly tattered singlet and a long purple skirt. On her wrist are chains where a red pyramid and a yellow sphere were hanged. But what makes her really stand out is her two long horns, decorated with ribbons.

She is the Little Pandemonium, Suika Ibuki.

"Shut up, you drunkard! It's your fault that he became like this!" A girl shouted angrily at the loli while sitting at the table. She has long, if not shorter than the oni, black hair that is decorated with a red ribbon and two matching tubes on her sidelock. She wears a seemingly modified red-white miko outfit, with detached sleeves that shows her armpit rather nicely. She's also holding her gohei on her right hand.

The girl who I recognized as the one who slept with-I mean, beside me earlier, is The Shrine Maiden of Paradise, Hakurei Reimu.

"…" and me, the victim, sitting in front of the miko at the table, lost at word with bruishes all over my body. Damn, I know danmaku are not lethal, but it's still hurts like f-ing hell!

By the way, the two in front of me are also an important chara in Touhou. The old me at this kind of situation would freak out, screaming on the spot while muttering things like 'Omigod omigod omigod! They're real, they're real! I'm really in a game!'. But I have to hold the urge to do so. First impression is important after all.

Speaking of first impression, I guess what happened this morning already leave a bad taste on Reimu's mouth.

How should I react with this situation? Should I just tell them straight everything that had happened?...nah…I guess playing dumb will be good for now. It'll be hard to explain to someone that I know them from Video Games. "Um, guys-I mean girls?"

"What?" shouted the miko. I take that back. What happened this morning really did leave a bad taste on Reimu's mouth. "Um, could you girls tell me what actually happened?"

Staring at me, the two then sighed. "Suika, you tell him."said the miko.

"Nu-uh, you tell 'em. It's your fault too, remember?"

"Ugh, fine." The miko then looked straight to my eyes. "You. Do you know where you are?"

"Um… a shrine?"

She rolled her eyes. "Oh great, another Outsider. Just to make sure, do you see any holes filled with eyes lately?"

Should I blame it to Yukari?...meh, whatever. "Um… I think I saw one. Somehow, the hole suddenly appears just below my foot, and then I fell into it. The next thing I remember is what happened this morning."

The miko looked down. Suddenly, with a face of great anger, she shouted to the ceiling.

"YUUUKAAARIII!"

"So loud~. What's the matter, Reimu dear?" suddenly the person in question shows up. She's hanging on her gap, showing only her upper body.

"You tell me, gap hag. What's the meaning of bringing this man here? What are you plotting this time?"

"Oh, it's nothing. I just found myself a new entertainment." She said with a playful tone. Guh, so that's how she looked me. A mere entertainment, huh?

"Whatever your plan is, I don't care. Now send him back or I'll beat you to a pulp right on the spot."

She chuckled. Then she showed us her trademark smile. "As if you could defeat me, child of Hakurei."

The miko didn't move one bit. Not even a flinch, while I tried to be as far as possible from Yukari. The air feels so ominous I almost choke on myself.

"But don't worry. He won't bring you any trouble. As long as I'm the one who monitored him, everything would be fine." Suddenly the air goes back to normal.

"I doubted that." said the oni.

"And one more thing. Reimu," said the blonde, ignoring the oni "I suggest you start preparing a room for him, because starting today he will be staying with you."

"What? You mean I have to take care of this guy until god knows when? And why should I agree with you?"

"It will be easier for me to contact him here than in the Human Village. And as of why, it's because I say so~." Yukari said in her usual tone. Reimu just grimaced. She knows that no matter how hard she tries, she could never win against the youkai alone.

"Well, if there's nothing more, I'm going to sleep again. *yawn* Ja ne~." Yukari said while reentering her gap.

"Wait, Yuka- ugh, that damn hag!" looks like the miko is not on her best day. "And you! Why don't you say anything to her?"

"Um, why should I?"

"Obviously because she's the one who sent you here, baka!"

Oh, damn. I think I've angered her enough. "I'm sorry, it's just very confusing for me. You said I'm an Outsider, but where actually am I?"

She sighed before sitting at the table. "Now, listen well because I won't repeat this. It will be hard for you to understand, but try to bear with it. Got it?"

"Okay."

"You're in Gensoukyou, an isolated land where creatures like youkai, gods, celestials and so on can lives. Outsiders are the term we use for people from outside world, just like you. And that woman earlier is Yakumo Yukari, the youkai of boundary. She's the one who sent you here."

I tried to make a surprised face. "Youkai? Doesn't they exist only in myth and storybooks?"

"No, they don't. They are real, and some are very dangerous. I suggest you to run away if you ever see one. Oh, and some has a human-like appearance. Like Yukari, and Suika for example."

I looked at Suika, who is laying on her side while holding her gourd. "Wait, you're a youkai?"

"Yo. The name's Ibuki Suika, an Oni." She said with a big grin.

"Oni? I thought oni looked like-"

"Don't think about it too much." cut Suika. "You won't survive here if you use too much common sense."

"Is that so…" I looked back to Reimu. "And, that means you're…"

"No, I'm just a regular human, and there are others in the village. My name is Hakurei Reimu, current miko of the Hakurei Shrine. And you?"

"Ah, sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. My name's Yanto Bahar. Though, you could just call me Yanto."

She nodded. "Well, we already saw how Yukari reacts when she sees you, so you'll probably be staying here until Yukari says otherwise. Now, would you like some tea?" she said as she gets up and walks to the kitchen.

"Ah, yes please." I already thirsty since this morning. I guess she's not really that uncaring after all.

"How about you, Suika?" she said, glancing to the oni.

"Nah, I'm fine." She said before taking another sip at her gourd. Reimu just walked away to the kitchen.

"Um, Suika-san." I said to the oni. "Could you tell me what happened last night? I mean, how can I…um…laying…next to Reimu-san?"

" *glug* *glug* Ah, so you don't remember, do you?"

"Unfortunately no."

"Well, hehehe *hic* it's actually really funny. You see, last night Reimu-"

"Don't tell him anything weird!" Shouted Reimu from the kitchen.

"Geez, I only tell him the truth." she pouted. "Well anyway, that night…"

X-X-X-X

Hakurei Shrine near midnight.

A party, which is only happened because The Ordinary Witch, Kirisame Marisa 'borrow' some of Morichika Rinnosuke's high class liquor he found at Muenzuka and bring it to the shrine had almost come to an end. It was a small party nonetheless, with only the miko, the resident oni, and the witch herself attending.

"Ne,…" said the blonde witch, "...I wonder where Yukari is,ze. I haven't seen her in days."

"Don't know, don't care. The hag probably just sleeping like always." the miko said. A shade of red was seen in her face, indicates how drunk she is.

"I don't know,ze. It's still summer, and you know how she loves sake."

" 'Cept it's not sake, and she has a habit of sleeping all the *hic* time."

"Reimu, I don't know you're such a light *hic* drinker." comments the oni on the miko's flushed face.

" *glug* *glug* Puah! Yur all underesteemating mee." The miko said, even more drunk than before.

"Reimu, I think the party's over,ze. Let's all go to sleep and-"

"Eye don' wanna!" shouted the miko. "Lookie here, eye can steel even standing and-"

*Thump*

"Well, there goes our beloved miko." commented the oni at the sight.

"Weird. Never seen Reimu pass out on a liquor before,ze. Especially before me."

"Everythin' has it's first. Should I carry her to the bedroom?"

"Nah, such a bother,ze. Just change her clothes and put her on a futon here."

"Okay. But you'll be the one who set the futon."

"Huh? Why,da ze?"

The oni smirks. " 'Cause I know what'll happen if I let you two alone even if just a little bit. And don't think I don't know what's on your mind right now after seeing her like this."

A blush on the witch's face. "Wh-wh-wha? Wh-wh-what do you mean, what's on my mind? I-I-I don't think of anything-ze!"

"Ohoho, really?"

"Y-y-yeah! Now let's just tidy things up right away, okay? It's getting late after all-ze."

"Okay, but just a little more drink. *glug* *glug* *glug* Puah, that's the stuff. I've to admit, your's is really good."

After putting Reimu down on her futon, Marisa goes back home, flying on her broom. Suika chooses to sleep on the porch. Suddenly…

*Crash*

"Huh, wazzat?" mumbled Suika. She looked to the source of the sound, a bush. Lazily, she walks down to the source.

"Hey, weirdo! If y'all wanna took a peek at Reimu's sleepin' body, you gotta walk thru me first!" said Suika, as if mocking the culprit.

There's no answer. She walked to see who's behind the bushes.

"I said, if you lookin' for some trouble, then- wha?"

A man was laying face down on the ground. At first, she thought the man was just acting like he's passed out. But after poking his face several times with a stick, she realized that the man was indeed unconscious.

"What should I do…" mumbled the oni. She almost took him back to the village, but after seeing his clothes, she realizes that the man is an Outsider. It's almost impossible to wake Reimu up, so instead she just drag the man on his collar and put his body besides Reimu. 'Let's just finish things up tomorrow then.' She thought. Then she goes back to sleep.

X-X-X-X

"And that's what happened." said the oni, ending the explanation.

I facepalmed.

"Just one last question. Why did you put me beside Reimu?"

"Hm…no idea. Too sleepy to think properly."

I facepalmed, again. Really, just because of this and I get a spellcard on my face? What a great way to start a morning.

"Don't worry about it so much." said Reimu while she bring two cups of tea on a tray. "Danmaku and Spellcard–that's what I hit you with this morning–are nonlethal. The most it can do is giving you a light bruises."

"But it still hurt nonetheless." I said while rubbing my bruised face. "By the way, what's a Danmaku? And what's Spellcard?"

She put the cups and then sits in front of me. "Danmaku is a way to settle things here in Gensoukyou. Basically, you throw lots of energy bullets in a pattern to your opponent. If you get hit, you lose. Spellcard is an advanced type of danmaku." She then showed me a card. "It allows you to throw an even more complex or more deadly danmaku. It can also helps you conjure a difficult spells. It also has a timeout. Sometimes a spellcard makes the user invincible or unable to be hit. That's what a timeout is for."

I nodded in understanding. "So, anyone can use danmaku?"

"Not everyone. Usually people with above average spiritual or magical power could. There's even one person that uses her 'chi'? I don't know. And there's also another who uses something called 'Nuclear Power'." She's probably talking about Meiling and Okuu.

"I see. So aside from spiritual and magical, anyone who can harness the power of nature also can do danmaku, huh?"

"That's basically it."

"So, do you think I can do it too?"

"I don't know. Your spiritual power is average and I can't sense any magic within you either."

I slumped in defeat. Damn, there goes my hope to battling another Touhou chara. Wait, if I don't have any of that, how can I open a gap? And isn't the outside don't have any magic anymore?

"You just need to have some training to awaken your power. Don't worry, everything has a start." She said as if trying to lift my spirit. It works, though.

"Ne, Reimu…" called Suika. "What's for lunch?" I looked at my watch which says '7.10'. It's still morning and she already thinks about the lunch?

She glanced at Suika, then at me again. "Now listen. You'll be staying at my shrine, so you have to follow my rule. For now," she showed me a piece of paper and a pouch full of coin. "buy me the ingredients for lunch in the Human Village. I forgot to bought it yesterday so we don't have anything for lunch."

Saying things like 'Why don't you go? You can fly, don't you?' might not be the best course of action, as I 'acting' like I don't know her ability yet, and I don't wanna make her angry again. "Okay. So…um, how do I get to the village?"

"Just walk down the stairs and take the stonewalk. You'll be there in an hour."

"What? That far?" I'll broke my feet in the first 15 minutes.

"Yes. And while you're at it, search for a decent job, one that could pay well. I won't let you stay here for free you know, and I don't want another freeloader after all. Except if you're okay with not having any lunch or dinner."

I sighed in defeat. I know it'll come to this eventually. As if some donations could support three person's daily needs. That if she even got any.

* * *

The walk to the village was rather uneventful. There's only trees and birds. I was lucky to not encounter any youkai on the way. But the stair is really tiring. I could feel my foot burning up from fatigue.

The scenery is, well, not really as good as I expected. Every time I imagine Gensoukyou and it's scenery, what's in my mind is always that : a beautiful paradise. What I encounter, instead, is just like any other backwater land. You know what they said about expectation. But I couldn't help it but wanted to see more.

It has been 30 minutes and I can already see the village from afar. It's rather small compared to a city, but bigger than most villages. I can also see a mountain which is probably Youkai Mountain even further away. I wonder who come out with such a name like 'Human Village'. Like it couldn't get any more obvious. Just a little more walk and the trees will come to a clearing.

"So, have you got any ideas?"

I don't need to look at the source of the voice, because I already know who the speaker is.

"You haven't slept yet?"

"Not until I have a chat with my cute apprentice~."

I sighed. "For your information, no, I haven't. I don't have any sort of talent that could make a profit. I can't cook, I can't do any housework that well, and I don't have any muscle to do manual labour. If I go there, I'll be a laughing stock."

Unfortunately, my life as a university student doesn't help me much with developing my skill. My 'kost' – it's how we called a boarding house here, though I sometime use the word 'apartment' to make it cooler for some reasons – don't have any kitchen I could use. Mom never agreed to teach me how to cook either, saying things like 'man shouldn't be in the kitchen' or 'cooking is for woman'.

Man, how I missed her now.

"Would you like an advice, then?"

I just raised an eyebrow at her word. "I don't know you're such a nice person."

"Of course I am. Now, if you're looking for a job that suits you, go to the center of the village. It's the biggest intersection there is. After that go to the west and you'll find what you're looking for. *yawn* Well then, back to sleep~." She said before going back into her gap.

I'll never know what's on her mind.

* * *

After a while, I finally arrived at the gate of the village. I looked to my watch and noticed it has been 15 minutes from when I met Yukari. The village looks crowded with people going here and there doing their works or just having some chat. The buildings are made from woods and bamboos, and none were made from bricks or concrete. They doesn't look old, but not modern either.

As I walked, I noticed that some people were taking a glance at me. It's not long, as they immediately go back to whatever it is they were doing. Probably because of my clothes, or my unfamiliar face. I'm not a Japanese to begin with.

Just like what Reimu instructed, I walked further to the inside of the village and found myself in the market place. I looked at the list again. Hm… some vegetables, tofu, and some other ingredients. She don't even bother to write the price of each things. I hope the money is enough.

And luckily, it is. There's still even some for me to buy a snack, as I forgot to eat any at the shrine. Hopefully Reimu won't mind. I can't imagine what would happen if I ran out of money. The shopping only took me 15 minutes. As I walked even deeper with groceries at my hand, I found myself at a large intersection. Just like what Yukari said.

I don't have any compass at me, so I looked at the sky instead. It's only 8.30, so it's still morning, and the sun is still on the east. As I walked to the direction Yukari told me to go to, I found a building that at least three or four times bigger than any other one. I could hear some noises from inside of the building, so I took a peek at one of the windows.

The room inside is filled with children. Some are chatting with their friends, some are eating their breakfast, and some were preparing their books. I noticed that they looked at least 10 years old and could probably be classified as a fourth grader. With how the room is packed with tables and a black board in front of the room, I quickly noticed that the building was actually a school.

" _Hello sir, how may I help you?_ "

I was too absorbed from looking at the room that I didn't notice that someone was standing beside me. She is speaking perfect English as she called me with such formal tone. She wears a dark blue dress with white short sleeves, a red ribbon that acts like a tie, and a hat that looks like the top of a building. She had brown eyes, long silver hair with blue highlights, and a smile that could easily tells you that she is a nice person.

She is The History-Eating Half Beast, Kamishirasawa Keine. She also working as the school's history teacher.

"Oh, I'm sorry." She probably thought that I can't speak Japanese. Luckily, I took my lesson well, unlike a certain someone. "I just walking through here and noticed the building. I kind of curious and wanted to look inside. I'm sorry if I looked suspicious, um…"

Looking at me with a slight blush, surprised that I can speak Japanese, she then regain her composure. "Kamishirasawa Keine. You could just call me my given name, if my family name is too hard for you to pronounce." She said, stating her name. "And no, of course not. I'm just surprised that someone really interested at our learning establishment, Mister…"

"Yanto Bahar. You can call me Yanto if you want. And your name isn't really hard to pronounce, Kamishirasawa-san. Though if you didn't mind, I prefer to call you Keine-sensei instead."

She seems surprised, either from someone pronouncing her name perfectly, or because that person knows her job. "How do you know that I'm a teacher?"

So it's the later then. I think it won't hurt to surprise her just a little more. "Well, you're the only person in 50 meter radius that is holding a book, and you're definitely doesn't look like a children." I stated the fact. "There are some white dust on your right finger, indicating that you're used to holding a chalk. Lastly, your glasses was hanging on your pocket, gives you a more teacher-like aura."

I lied, though. I already know her occupation from games and mangas. And the things I pointed out, well, that's just an example on how Sherlock Holmes and Conan Edogawa could affect your view on people. Now she'll see me like some sort of weirdo.

She looked at her hand, to her pocket, and then at me with eyes that is at least half bigger than before. Also, her mouth now wide open, like, really wide.

"H-how…" heh, seems I gave her quite a shock, huh?

"The world, Keine-sensei, is full of obvious things which nobody by any chance ever observes. _(The Hound of Baskerville, Chapter 3)_ " I tried to be as cool as I can, quoting from one of the book I know.

She almost like a fresh water fish statue right now, given how her face looks. I almost laughed, but just before her mind goes back to reality.

"You…"

"Yes?"

"You…you…you…"

"Yes, sensei?"

"YOU!" she suddenly dashed forward, grabbed my collar and shoved her face towards mine.

"YES!" I'm surprised, I'm really REALLY surprised. Some said that her headbutt was scary. That it could send you to Netherworld with no chance of going back. And, well, after almost experiencing it, I could safely say that it is indeed terrifying. It makes me forget the fact that her above-the-average chest was touching me. Somehow, her eyes are glimmering with expectation.

"You must be a scholar, right? Right?"

…eh? That's what makes her like this?

"W-well, actually I'm just a normal college student." I said.

"I knew it! I knew you're a-eh?" I think her last bit of common sense finally comes back to her mind, as she released her grab and moves further away from me. If her face before was like a fish, now it looks similar to a tomatoes.

She quickly gave me a deep bow (that almost hit me in the face, again) and apologized. "I-I-I'm sorry! I can't seem to control myself. It's just that I was happy to find another scholar aside from myself and I…I…I…"

"It's okay, sensei, I'm not angry at all, really. And…um…"I scratched my face in embarassement "…could you please stand up? People are looking and… it's kinda…you know…" I said as I glanced at the watchers.

"Ah, right." As fast as she bow, she's now standing straight again. " *ahem* If you don't mind Yanto-san, would you like to look at how our learning system is? I will be the one to teach the class that you looked earlier. It'll help us very much if you could recommend a better way to teach, or even renewing our curriculum." she said, but her tone almost like pleading.

I glanced at my watch. 8.44. It seems I still got time before lunch. And I'm not really expecting to get a job right away. As they said, there's always tomorrow, right?

"That's alright, I'm not really in a hurry anyway."

*RIIING* *RIIING* *RIIING*

"It seems the class has started." She glanced at the school bell. "You can sit inside the class if you wanted to, Yanto-san."

"It's okay, Keine-sensei. I'll just look from here. I don't wanna bother the children after all." I reject her offer, with a smile of course.

"Well, if you really okay with it. Then, see you after class." She smiled and gave me a quick bow. Then she turn her back and walk towards the entrance. I noticed that beside her plump chest, her body from the back was also really- *SLAP* Ah, a nice slap from my Pessimist side, telling me to stop thinking weird things. Thank you very much.

As I looked back to the class, I wondered what could be the difference between Gensoukyou and Outside's way of learning. But that will be answered almost immediately so I stopped my train of thought and focused my eyes.

Keine walked inside, and almost immediately, the children gave a bow to her.

"Stand! Bow!" said the class leader to Keine.

"Good morning, sensei!" said the student.

"Good morning student." replied Keine.

"Sit!" said the class leader, and everyone follow suit.

"Now, let's start our math lesson today." Oh, so it's a math class then. I wonder what will they learn today?

"Our lesson today will be about multiplying."

"…eh?"

* * *

This isn't right. This is definitely not right. There's something really wrong with this.

"Yanto-san?"

They looked at least ten, right? So they should be at least 4th grader, right?

"Yanto-san!"

Yet they still learning how to multiply! Some even don't know how much 2X5 is! This…this…

"Yanto-sa-"

"IS MADNESS!"

"Eeep!"

Eh, what's going on? Why is Keine covering her ears with her hands, and closed her eyes, looking terrified?

…oh, damn. I lost my cool again, didn't I?

"Keine-sensei! I-I'm sorry! I lost my temper earlier. Are you okay?" I looked at her, slightly in panick.

"I-I'm fine, Yanto-san. But still, what happen? Earlier, you look very…infuriated…" she looked at me worryingly.

I sighed. "I'm sorry. It's just…" how should I say it to her… "…I don't really agree with your math curriculum."

"What do you mean?" she looks more calm than before. Instead, her worried face turns to one of curiosity.

"If I was right, they're at least 10, right?" I guess it's better if not use the term 'grade' now, since I don't know on which age did they starts to school.

"You are correct. And some of them were already 11."

"And they are still learning how to multiply?"

"Why yes. Is there any problem?"

I facepalmed. "How long is this system…um…used already?"

"If I wasn't mistaken, it's already been used since the founding of the school."

"And there's no effort to renew it?"

"Well, I had actually tried to change it, but I'm having some difficulty in deciding what they should learn and when should they learn it."

Bam. Double Facepalm. One more and I'll be doing a faceplant instead. "You see, in my place we already learned to memorize multiplication since we are 7 or 8 years old."

"What?" she surprised. "But that's so early! If so, then what do you learn when you're ten?"

"Hm… I think we learn about time, distance and speed, and how to measure them. We also learn on how to measure 2 dimensional and 3 dimensional structure's wide and volume."

"Oh my…" it seems she still surprised. "What should I do then? Should I… no, that would be inefficient. What about if… no, that won't be good either… How about…" she put her hand on her chin, figuring out the best course of action. Then, she looked at me.

"Yanto-san,.." she said. "I know it's rude of me to be asking you this… but I don't seem to have any other choice." She looked even more serious than before.

"Would you like to be our new math teacher?"

"W-wha? B-but I'm… actually… not really good at this… sort of… thing…" damn, what should I do? I never teach anyone before. And I'm not even that smart to begin with. "Can't you just renew the curriculum right now?"

"It will be hard for me to change what has already started. I'm not asking you to be our permanent teacher. It'll probably called… um… supplementary class, I presume. And for that, I need a help from another person."

As she looked at my still-not-sure face, she continued. "It's okay, I will help you as much as I can. And don't worry about money. I will see the principal to talk about your salary. We teachers always get paid weekly, and from my personal view, I think it's enough for roughly two person every month."

As I mused, I remember what Yukari said earlier.

"… _and you'll find what you're looking for…"_

Heh, just as planned isn't it, Yukari. Looks like I walked right into your trap.

"I guess I have no choice, I'll take it."

* * *

 **Phew! Finally!**

 **I'm really sorry if it took longer than what you expected. If anyone actually expecting anything, that is. I'm actually having a hard time at the conversation part, thinking 'how would it like if reimu/suika/keine talks?' I looked at some other fanfic and even ZUN's official manga already, but I can't seem to get it properly… so I'm sorry if it somehow OOC.**

 **As I already said before, it will be OC-centric. I'm still trying to understand each chara's way of thinking so I can properly make another POV.**

 **The naming system I use will be the Japanese. Except some like Yanto that used western style, and some like Reisen that I think will be weird if use I.U.R. instead of R.U.I.**

 **Oh yeah, I'm also planning to add one more genre. But if I do so, you'll figure out the main plot.**

 **Damn me and my brain for not thinking about it properly.**

 **And Yanto being a teacher, it's also important to the plot.**

 **I also figured out that Gensoukyo is actually written as Gensoukyou. I'll repair the first chapter right away.**

 **Any comments, reviews, and so on are really appreciated. Like, really.**

 **I can't promise when I can release next chapter (Dammit you Real Life!) so…**

 **Until next time then :v**

* * *

 **Um…Epilogue?**

The same day, around evening.

A certain mansion in the Netherworld.

Sitting in the porch, a woman is having her luxury time, eating snacks and tea while looking at her garden. It was only a light meal, consist of mochi and green tea. But the amount of the meal makes it nowhere near the word light.

From afar, she could see a giant tree without leaves nor flowers standing in one of the hills. It is the biggest tree in there, makes the other looks like it's own child. It looks old and rotten, but if anyone dares to venture closer, it would look like any other living trees out there. That, if anyone dares to, as it could drive anyone who approached it insane with deadly peacefulness.

It is the Saigyou Ayakashi, the Youkai Sakura Tree of the Netherworld. Some said that it hasn't bloomed for ages. And that's what the woman had trying to do some years ago. She failed, nevertheless. Yet, there isn't any piece of regret shown on her face. Infact, she was smiling, humming some tunes she heard from the three poltergeist sisters some time ago.

"Yuyuko-sama…"

The girl, now known as Yuyuko, glanced at the source of the voice. It was a girl clad in green, holding a katana on her right while her wakizashi is sheathed on her back.

"What is it, Youmu?"

It was the mansion's gardener, Youmu. It seems she had done with her duties today, what with holding a sword and sweating a lot. She almost finish her daily training, if not for looking at the sight before her.

"Would you like some more tea?"

The woman, as seen by the girl, had not drink her tea for past a while. She was probably too lazy to get her own or just too full to stand. The last is impossible though, thought the girl.

"Ah, thank you, Youmu. And bring two when you come back."

"I'm not really thirsty, Yuyuko-sama."

"Is that so. Then, bring three glass, and some more snack if you can."

The girl couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at her mistress's behavior. Though, the girl's train of thought stopped when seeing somebody comes out from a gap behind the woman.

"A-ah, just a moment, Yuyuko-sama, Yukari-sama. I'll get your tea in no-"

"No need to be so uptight, Youmu. I'm not in such a rush either."

"Y-yes, Yukari-sama."

The gap youkai then sits beside the other woman, gazing at the garden.

"It has been 4 for years already, isn't it?" mused the woman to herself.

"Yes, the flows of time was indeed a cruel thing." said the youkai.

"I can't help but feel that it has been only yesterday, you know."

"It is for me too."

A silent follows the two, but just before the youkai to continue her talk.

"You know, to tell you the truth, I already know from the start that all your effort that time was in fain. That it was impossible to make it bloom once more." The youkai look at the woman. Her face full of regrets "I'm sorry for not telling you this sooner, Yuyuko."

'I already know', thought the woman. The woman smiled, but not showing it to the youkai. Instead, she covers her mouth with her hand, showing the youkai a playful-surprised look.

"Oh my, what is wrong with you, Yukari? Do you catch a cold? Have you got any sleep?"

The youkai looked away in embarrassment. It was clear that she is not the type that used to showing any guilt or even ask for forgiveness.

"Shut up. You know how embarrassing it is. *yawn* And yes, I haven't sleep since yesterday."

There's something wrong with Yukari, the woman thought. She is probably worrying about something, or someone right now. The amount of her worry is probably large, considering her strange behavior earlier. But she just giggled at her embarrassed faced.

"Here's your tea, Yuyuko-sama, Yukari-sama."

Her train of thought was interrupted by the sudden appearance of her gardener.

"Thank you, Youmu." said the youkai. Again, it was rare for her to say any thanks. "Why don't you join us for some chat?"

"I'm sorry, Yukari-sama. I still had some training to do at the dojo. Then, if you'll excuse me…" and the gardener goes.

The woman pouted. "Mo~, Youmu's too uptight."

And then, another silent. Not because they don't have anything in mind, but they waited the perfect moment to say it. It was broken not long after, when the woman talk first.

"So, what about him?"

"He's doing fine, even though his gap isn't perfect yet. For now, I put him in the shrine and made him work at the school so his interaction with the other increases."

A chuckle. "It's as if you forced him to socialize, isn't it?"

"If I don't, he'll end up as a loner for the rest of his life." The youkai took a sip from her tea. "It's also important for him in order to know his past."

"Why didn't you just tell him then?"

The youkai smiled. Her usual façade comes back to her. "Ufufu, and what would be the fun in that?"

"You're right." said the woman with a smile.

And the evening ends just like another day.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer : Touhou and all it's characters are belonged by ZUN. I only own my OCs and this story. Any similarities on any parts of the story with another fanfic are unintended.**

 **Chapter 3 :** **A Nice Afternoon Indeed.**

* * *

Ah, what a nice afternoon. Calming summer breeze blowing inside the shrine, delicious Japanese-style lunch, and a nice-

*BUURRSSTT!*

-tea on my face.

"Whoa there, take it easy-ze. Just wait 'till I get the napkin."

"Um, Reimu-san?" I asked while I wipe my face with my palm. "I did say that your tea is great and all, but…"

"*cough* *cough* It's not that! *cough* Now, of all the possible job out there in the village, just why did you choose to be a teacher? Isn't there anything better than that?"

"Well…" I explained, "…I don't have any talent whatsoever that could be of use in any kind of job environment. Besides, they said that I can support at least two people from the pay. So, why not?"

"Well, okay." Wow, that's fast. I know Reimu is easily satisfied with money, but not THIS fast. "So, when will you start?"

"Tomorrow, at 2 o'clock. I start after the class ended, seeing I'm only a supplementary teacher."

"Is that so? Well, it's fine though."

"Here's the napkin-ze."

"Ah, thank you, Marisa-san." The girl, which given me a napkin, is Reimu's longtime friend. Her wavy blonde hair is braided on her left side with a white bow. She wears a black vest over a white shirt, a black skirt with white apron, and a black witch hat adored with a large white bow which she put on the floor.

She is the Ordinary Magician, Kirisame Marisa.

We first met at the village earlier. She said that Reimu asked her to find me, seeing it's a little too late for a lunch anyway, but Reimu will make it regardless. As for how I got here just in time, well the answer is I don't. Marisa just grabbed the groceries and fly away in high-speed, leaving me for another 45 minutes of walk to the shrine with a sore feet and out of breath.

"By the way, where's Suika-san?" I asked. "I haven't seen her since earlier."

"She walked outside, said that she went to meet her friends underground." answered Reimu.

"Oh yeah, Yanto." said Marisa, "Now you became a teacher, do you have any weapon to defend yourself-ze?"

"Why do I need a weapon?"

The two looked straight at my face, then at each other, and then sighed.

"Eh? Is there something wrong?"

"Yanto…" said Marisa. "…this is Gensoukyou, you know. Gen. Sou. Kyou. Get it-ze?"

"What she mean…" continued Reimu. "…is that this is not Outside World. There are dangerous youkais everywhere. Some even wanted to eat you. *sigh* Heck, of all the people I know, 80% of them are up to no good."

"She's right, you know."

As I looked back, I noticed a girl was standing on the porch while holding a notebook. She has a pair of red eyes and semi-long black hair, complete with a weird-looking red hat. She also wears a white blouse and a black short skirt. Hanging on her neck is an old-looking camera.

She is the Traditional Reporter of Fantasy, Shameimaru Aya.

"You mean the 'no good' part or the '80%' part-ze?" asked Marisa while grinning.

"Ayaya, that's not what I mean." She waved off her hand. "I'm Shameimaru Aya, a reporter for the Bunbunmaru Newspaper." She said while handing me a copy of the paper. "What I mean, is this world is indeed dangerous. And not just youkai, mind you. Fairies, celestials, even gods could give you the same, if not greater amounts of trouble for outsiders like you, especially since you became a teacher just recently. Speaking of Outsider…" she said as she sit in front of me, pulling out a pen out of nowhere, ready to write anything I say.

"Go away, Aya." Reimu said in an annoyed tone before took a sip of her tea. Seriously, how much tea did Japanese drink everyday anyway? "We're not in the mood for any interview today."

"Reimu-san, is she…" I said as I pointed to a pair of small jet-black bird-like wing on her back.

"*sigh* Yes, she's a youkai too."

"A Crow Tengu, to be precise. Now : Name? Birth date? Occupation? Person in interest?" she asked, holding the pen in one hand and the notebook in another while leaning closer and closer to me.

"W-W-Wait-wait-wait!" I hold my hand in front of her. "U-Um, Aya-san! Y-you said earlier about me being a teacher, right?" I said, trying to change the topic.

"Oh yeah!" she pulled back to her sitting. "Being a teacher, means being the village's protector too, especially for that were-hakutaku girl."

"Were-hakutaku girl? Wait, do you mean Keine-sensei is…"

"Yes, she is a half-youkai-ze. Pretty shocking, right?" Marisa said, joining the conversation.

"W-Well…" I agree with the pretty part, but the shocking part, "…yeah…" not really.

"Anyway…" continued the tengu, "…the girl had always protecting the village from any attack by hiding it with her power. And thus she became a target for some trouble-making youkais and fairies. The other teacher were off the chart since they are just some normal humans. But seeing a new teacher, and an outsider at that…" she pointed her pen at me.

Oh boy, I'd never thought about this before. Right now, I might be the most power-less guy in all Gensoukyou. Let's face it, Reimu said that I didn't have any spiritual nor magical power. Also, Yukari already forbade me to open any gap without her consent. Basically, I'm as powerless as a rat.

Well, it's not like I haven't thought about this before. In my free time, I always imagined how to survive in this world. I thought about how to encounter youkai, how to NOT encounter youkai, and mostly how to stay alive. To be honest, most of the scenario involves me having some sort of superpower and ability to shoot danmaku, which in that case I'll be a Superhero. Pretty embarrassing, if you asked me.

Once I thought the possibility of coming here without any power at all. The results, well, I'll die in the first three days at most. Either I ended up as a dinner for Rumia, or to be grilled beside a lamprey by Mystia. As such, I'm lucky to be ended up at the Hakurei Shrine.

"Th-That might be bad…"

"Hey, why don't I take you to the weapon shop tomorrow-ze? I don't have any schedule tomorrow anyway." offered Marisa.

"There's a weapon shop in Gensoukyou?" I asked.

"The best in the village-ze!" she exclaimed. "And not just weapon, you can also buy any sort of stuff there, like clothes or even some weird knick-knacks from outside. Oh, I forgot you don't have any money since you're an outsider, but don't worry-ze! Let's just borrow the stuff until you can pay it."

Oh, does she means Kourindou? "Is it okay for me to borrow it?"

"Of course-ze! I've known Kourin since I was little, and he-"

"Yeah, yeah, we get it, Marisa-san. But what's more important right now is the interview!" said Aya, cutting Marisa's story. "Now, would you be so kindly as to give me your name, o' kind sir?"

She said that with those pleading children tone and puppy eyes, which to be honest didn't affect me at all. "Um, my name is…"

* * *

After the interview ended, Aya left the shrine to find more interesting news. Of course, I didn't tell the part about Yukari and the lesson, but regardless she'll keep me in her view because she said that I'll become a 'potential news maker'.

Marisa said that one of her friend – which is probably Alice – invited her and her fellow magician to dinner, and she wanted to help her to prepare it. That left me alone in the shrine with only the resident miko. Now, we sitted in front of each other, facing the table and yet another tea in front of us.

.

.

5 minutes…

.

.

10 minutes…

.

.

30 minutes…

.

.

.

1 hour…

Damn, the tension's killing me! Come on, Yanto, think! Make a conversation!

"Um… Rei-"

"Yanto."

"Y-Yes?!" Damn, that surprised me.

"Now that we're alone, could you tell me truth?"

…eh?

"What do you mean, Reimu-san?"

"You don't have to hide it." She took a sip of her tea. "I know that you're not just any normal outsiders. There's something different from you, though I still don't know what."

I gulped. I wasn't expecting her to be this sharp. But just like her, I too still don't know what she mean by 'different'. "C-Can you tell me on what basis did you said that? What makes you think I'm different?"

Her dark brown eyes looked straight into my eyes, which makes me skip a beat.

"Your face."

"Wha-?"

She put her cup on the table. "You don't seem to be bothered by the fact that you're in another world. You're not even surprised when I told you what Suika is. And you know what your face looked like when you saw Aya? It's excitement."

"…"

"Believe me, you're one of the worst actors I've met. Not even Marisa was this bad when she lied about stealing." she said while crossing her arms on her chest.

"…so?"

"So? So what? You gonna tell me anything or not?"

I sighed. I knew one way or another somebody gonna see through my act. But I'm not expecting it to be this fast, not on my first day in Gensoukyou.

Not even by her.

To be honest, I also amazed by my ability – or maybe inability? I don't know – to not be surprised by all of this. I expected myself to be like those fan girl meeting their idol when I see any of the characters here. I also prepared to hold myself when my inner-crazy went, you know, crazy.

But no. I didn't hold myself at all. I even surprised that I'm not surprised.

"Alright, I give up. I knew it will go up anyway." I looked straight at her. "Reimu-san, what if I tell you that I already know all about Gensoukyou and its people even before I came here?"

"…what?" she raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Like I said. I already know who you are, I know what Suika-san is, I also know what Aya-san's job before she came here. Heck, I even know about Marisa-san's kleptomaniac disorder. I can't tell you how I knew it all, at least not now, but I can assure you that I won't be surprised by anything Gensoukyou had to offer."

She put her hand on her head, looking down in exasperation. She muttered something I can't recognize, but I could point one word, which is 'incident'. "*sigh* Alright." She looked up at me. "So, how much did you know?"

"Roughly about 70%." I claimed. While I know about Touhou in regular, there's still a lot of things I don't. As I told you in the first chapter, Touhou doesn't really have deep, detailed story like some anime or light novel. It means that there's no chara's background that is explained in detail, and if it exist it was probably a fan made.

"Show me the proof." She demanded. Hm… what can I say that can make her believe me…

What…

.

.

…that's it!

"A vampire locked in a mansion near the lake, two immortals that lives deep in the bamboo forest, two gods at the top of the mountain, nuclear raven…" I listed some of the boss and ex-boss I know. I choose some that I thought no outsiders, or even village insiders could know if they even exist.

"Wha-" She looked as if I had grown another head, which I last checked was not. "I even surprised you know anything about SDM the first day you're here." She sighed, then took another sip of the tea, trying to calm herself down. "So, why did you even coming here for?"

"…you knew?" I said, surprised by her answer.

She smirked. "Of course I knew. I know Yukari would never bring any potential threat here, even with her prankful behavior. If I was right, then she must have persuaded you to come here, push you down through one of her gap, and drop you near the shrine."

Wow. I was clearly not expecting that. I don't even know if anyone could be that close to the truth.

"Okay, for your answer, Yukari offered to tell me more about my past."

"Your…past?"

*TWITCH*

" _Damn, the engine's broke."_

" _The rain's too heavy. Let's just wait till it wear off."_

*TWITCH*

" _Wait. Who's that?"_

" _I'll take a look."_

" _No, Darling. Don't-"_

*TWITCH*

" _Mom…_

 _._

… _Dad…_

 _._

… _are you-"_

 ***TWITCH***

"AAGGGHH!"

Damn, it hurt! Definitely not expecting that!

"Yanto! Are you okay?"

I looked at the miko in front of me. Her face is full of concern.

"I-It's okay, just a light headache, is all. Don't worry, it'll wear off soon enough…"

* * *

The first time I met him, I already feels something different. No, I'm not one of those sage that could tell what's wrong on people, nor Satori that could read someone's heart, mind you.

I just know, that's simply it.

Yet, he doesn't have any trace of magic on him. Even his spiritual power is average, which is making it even more weird.

At the time when Yukari pop out in front of him, he's not even flinched. From that point onward, I could tell that he's no ordinary people.

After that, I told him to find a job at the village. I admit that I can't support any more people than myself with my income, but that's not the main reason why I ordered him. It's actually because I wanted to know how he deals with people. I need to know his social skill because in a world like this, he won't survive it alone.

And yet, he got himself a decent job within a day. But what surprises me the most is that he became a teacher, as suggested by Keine herself.

Nothing is wrong with Keine though. She is relatively good with everyone, but she also raises her guard at the coming potential threat, especially from youkais and outsiders that will likely mess with the villager. So off course I'm surprised that Keine could accept him that easily.

' _It must be Yukari…'_ I mused.

When he told me that he already knew about Gensoukyou before, I was shocked, again. Sure, there must be rumors going around in the outside world about a magical land filled with dangerous creatures, like one of those 'novels' Marisa once brought to the shrine. But there's no outsider knew more than what he knows. No one even close. It's either that he once come here before, or he have some kind of weird power in him. Though, the later is almost impossible.

"Great, another possible incident-maker." I muttered while looking down and holding my head.

And now, when he almost told me about his past, he grabbed his head and winced in pain. I may not be a psychiatrist or a certain mind reader, but I'm not dumb enough to know something was wrong. It seems that whatever happened to him, he really took it hard.

I then mused to myself. _'Does it really important what his past is like? Do I really have to know?'_ After all, I'm sure that he's not the only one with a problem with his past.

And also…

I could see that he's not a bad person.

* * *

I sighed. I took a sip of the tea to calm myself. If it's gonna be this painful, then I better not talk too much abou-

"If it's too much for you, you don't have to talk about it."

"Huh?" I released my hands from my head.

"It's okay. But I suppose if it's that painful, that must be a sensitive topic, right?" She smiled. "If it's too much, then I won't prey it from you. I'll just wait until you're ready to say it."

I looked at her face. That warm, assuring smile that could make my worries go outside the window. I replied with a smile.

"Thank you…Reimu-san…"

"Don't mention it."

* * *

It's already evening in Gensoukyou.

Having nothing to do, Reimu decided to take a nap in her room, while I still wanted to feel the breeze so I choose to sleep at the porch. I looked to my watch that says '5.30'. It means that I slept for almost 3 hours.

' _Is it really okay for me to say nothing to her?'_ I mused. After what happened earlier, I felt slightly guilty to Reimu for not telling the truth. After all, she just waved it off like that after looking at my pained expression. It's not wrong for her to suspecting me, though. After all, she IS the Protector of Gensoukyou.

' _The time will come…'_ I thought, for when I have to explain it to her.

I looked back at the scenery in front of me. It's already dark, but the sky's still have its orange color. I thought about trying to learn to fly. For your information, most of the chara in the game knows how to, though the methods were probably differ from each person.

"If I could fly, then maybe I could see how beautiful Gensoukyou is…" I muttered to myself.

"*yawn* What a nice nap…"

I looked at my back to see Reimu walking to the living room.

"I agree to that, Reimu-san." I said with a smile. "Still sleepy?"

"Not really." she scratched her back. "For now, I'll take a bath, while _you_ prepare dinner."

"What?"

"I told you that I won't let you stay here for free, right?" she grinned.

"W-Wai-" I protested, but just before she went and gone from my eyesight.

Great, just great. Definitely F-in' great. Now what should I do?

"*sigh* Well, there's no turning back now, right?"

After I entered the kitchen, I wasted no time and searching for ingredient, _any_ ingredient. As of now, I still don't know what I should cook, thanks for my complete zero knowledge of cooking.

What I could found is:

Some already cooked rice,

Eggs,

Tofu from earlier,

And some spices.

"Now what…what…" I could just make a simple sunny-side, but I doubt it could satisfy my appetite. Think Yan, think! Search in my memory, search…

" _Now, put the spices before the rice…"_

Wait, what's that?"

" _Good, now cook the egg any way you want…"_

That voice, who-

" _Wow, thanks-"_

"-grandma?"

…now I remember. It turns out that I'm not a complete Zero at cooking. I know just the right meal! And the ingredients are perfect, too! Now…

* * *

"*sniff* What's that?"

I could smell something nice coming from the kitchen. What could that be?

"*sniff* *sniff* Egg? *sniff* …and rice?"

Curiosity took control of my body as I walked straight to the kitchen.

"What do you cook?" I asked Yanto, who is now washing his hand in the sink. Near the stove, in the left side of the sink, is two plate of meal, still releasing some steam. I decided to take a closer look at the meal.

The plate was filled with light-brown colored rice, with a faint notice of red which is probably chili pepper. On the side is two slices of cucumber and a slice of tomato. But what really draw my attention is the omelettte on the other side of the plate. _'I know what it is.'_ I thought. The maid once cooked this meal when Remilia invited me and Marisa for dinner.

"It's an Omurice, right?" I looked at Yanto on my right.

"Not really." He shook his head, still washing his hand. "You see, Japanese Omurice has it's rice wrapped inside the omelette, while this one's not. The seasoning is probably different, too."

Still looks the same to me. I took a pair of chopstick to try the meal.

"Ah, careful. It's still a little…hot…"

"Okay, okay, I'll be… why did you look at me like that?"

"A-A-Ah…"

"Is there something wrong on my-"

"I'M SORRY!" suddenly, he covered his face with his hands. "I-I-I swear I didn't look, I really swear!"

I raised an eyebrow at his statement. "Didn't look? You didn't look what?"

"Y-Your clothes…" he said. Following his hint, I looked down at my body, and what I found surprised me.

"KYAAA!"

"W-Wait, Reimu-san, calm down, it's-"

"PERVERT!" I throw the chopsticks at him and ran away as fast as I could.

* * *

"Ow, that will leave a mark…"

*BLAM*

I could hear the sound of a door being closed abruptly. I removed my hand to see that she's no longer in the kitchen.

I sighed. That really surprised me. How can I not? She only wears a goddamn towel, for goddamn sake! But that's not the most surprising one, mind you. What really surprises me the most is the fact that her body is more…womanly than I thought.

Wait, isn't this thing can only be found in anime? I mean, there's no way that her sash could hid that…

Oh yeah, hehe, I forgot…

I'm in Gensoukyou after all…

* * *

I closed my bedroom's door and standing against it. I can feel my heart beating hard through my chest. This…chest that I kept hidden for so long, no one had ever seen it.

Until now…

How stupid of me. Just why did I walk to the kitchen after I took a bath? And why didn't I change first? I admit that his cooking smells good, but that's not enough reason!

" _I-I-I swear I didn't look, I really swear!"_

"…did he really didn't see it?"

Oh, for god sake Reimu, of course he see it! Didn't you see his face getting red earlier?! Okay, okay, just calm down now, let's take a deep breath…then release it…That's better. Now let's just put on some cloth first. Bloomers, check. Shirt, check. Sleeves and ribbons, check. Sash…

It's not here. Just where is it?

If I can't found it, then I have to… and then he will see…

I slapped myself lightly at the thought. But still…

I wonder…what will he thought…about my…

.

.

"No good, no good! Come on Reimu, keep your act!"

I sighed. This is harder than I thought…

*KNOCK* *KNOCK*

Huh? Who's there?

"Um, Reimu-san, you in there?"

Oh God, it's him! What should I do?

"I just wanna tell you that I found…this…earlier at the kitchen and um, just wondering if it's yours, so um…"

* * *

God, help me! How could you put me in such embarrassing situation?

I mean, come on! Knocking on a girl's door, holding a goddamn sash, while asking if it's hers or not, how come it's not embarrassing?

I looked back at the sash. It was white, and it's still feels warm on my hand, which means that it was used not too long ago. Damn, just the thought of it almost makes me nosebleed.

"Reimu-san? Are you in there or-"

Suddenly, she opens the door slowly, and stopped just enough for peeking. She looked at my face, then at my hand.

"Reimu-san, um, do you recognize this-"

She interrupted me again by quickly grabbed the sash on my hand and then close the door…

*BLAM* …abruptly, again.

"PERVERT!"

"Wha- Reimu-san, I can explain! Please open-"

"I'M CHANGING, YOU BAKA!"

"A-Ah, of course, hehe, how stupid of me…"

"Now go before I Fantasy Seal you again!"

"O-Okay, just, wanna tell you that the dinner is rea-"

"JUST GO!"

"Okay!"

.

.

.

"*sigh* It's gonna be awkward later…"

* * *

Silent.

That's how I could describe the dinner tonight. Only crickets and nightbirds from outside filling our ears. Here, the two of us, facing each other while enjoying our meal.

Well, I'm not sure about the 'enjoying' part, actually. As I looked, Reimu hadn't said anything since the incident earlier. To make the matters worse, she doesn't show any emotions at all. No smile, no frown, no commenting on my cooking. Nothing.

God, I can't take this awkwardness any-

"Say…"

"Yes?" Finally! Thank you God!

"Did you really not see?"

…goddamn.

"Y-Yes, you can take my word!"

She only 'Hmphed' at my response. I don't think she's angry anymore. If not, at least it's been reduced…

"You know what would happen if you tell this to anyone right?"

"EEP!" I shuddered at her growl. I take that back, her anger hasn't been reduced one bit. "YES!"

"Good." She nodded. I'll get a heart attack soon enough if it goes on like this.

"I must admit though, that your food is delicious." She claimed.

"I-Is that so? Well, it's actually the first time I'm cooking on my own. Isn't it too spicy?" I asked. I'm still not sure enough at my cooking, so I'm surprised her praising me.

"A little, but I don't mind."

I sighed in relieve. At least she's not angry anymore about earlier.

"By the way, did you really okay being here? Won't you make your make your families worry?"

.

.

"…they…won't…"

* * *

"Sorry?" I asked. I didn't really hear what he said, but from his tone, I could easily guess it's another sensitive thing.

"It's okay. They won't care even if I didn't exist anyway."

He smiled sadly at his own statement. Is it related to his past?

"I-Is that so…" was the only answer I could come up with. I felt a little guilty at him, but I couldn't find an appropriate word to cheer him up. Then I remembered what he said this evening.

"Earlier you said that you wanted to learn to fly, right?"

"Earlier? You mean back at the porch?"

I nodded. "I'm not much of a teacher, so I doubt I could teach you anything. After all, with your conditions now, you won't fly even if you try." I reminded him of his lack of magic and spirit power.

"You see,…" I continued, "…flying skill is important in Gensoukyou because most people uses danmaku while still in the air. But you already know about it, right?"

He nodded. "It also helps so that you don't need to walk through the forest, thus reducing the risk of encountering any youkais, am I right?" he answered as if continuing my sentence.

"Yes, so it's better if you learn it as soon as possible. Earlier, I already asked Marisa to meet someone who could help you, in hope that she agree, so you don't have to worry about it."

* * *

Did I really hear that?

"Really? I mean, you've done a lot for me, like giving me a place to stay, and cook for me. Is it really okay?"

She smiled. "Don't worry, it's nothing."

I still couldn't believe what I've just heard. Reimu, THAT Reimu, helping me without asking anything in return? Guess luck is on my side tonight…

"Thanks, Rei-"

"Just give me 60% of the pay, okay?"

…or not.

"What? 60%? But that's-"

"Ah, sorry I was wrong. I mean 75%, plus the bonus."

"Say WHAT? You stingy shrine maiden! The most I'll give you is 30%, no more!"

"HAA?! And after everything I've done for you? You ungrateful-"

"You've only give me a place to stay, is all. After all, I'm the one who cook the dinner!"

"And I'm the one who cook the lunch! And don't forget the fact that you've seen my body!"

"Wha-…" I blushed. "But that was an accident! You're the one forgetting to put any clothes!"

"But you're the one who…"

* * *

As if enjoying the fight, a crow tengu was sitting on one of tree branch, eyeing everything from afar.

"Ayaya, this could be a great scoop!"

*FLASH*

"I wonder what should I wrote? Hmm, 'New Outsider Bringing Trouble to the Miko'? 'A New Lover's Quarrel'?"

She hummed in thought. "Well, whatever it is, it will be a hit!"

And she flies happily towards the mountain.

* * *

 **Finally done!**

 **I'm really sorry if it took so long, I'm just having some writer's block. It feels hard for me to even write anything. Even this chapter is the shortest yet.**

 **Also my exam is coming, so I doubt the next update will be soon. I will probably update again in next year, I mean the next month. It's the same, right? Hehe (getting a punch on the face by Yuuka for the lame joke)**

 **Once again, I'm sorry!**

 **Anyway, for next chapter I decided to tell how Yanto survives as a teacher, hopefully. And I'm still thinking what kind of weapon should Yanto chooses.**

 **Also, I managed to write some of Reimu's POV. If the change in the POV is a little difficult to follow, please let me know.**

 **So, please review and comment, my good reader, if you exist, that is.**

 **Until next time, then :v**

* * *

 **Epilogue**

Tuesday evening.

On the 2nd floor of a certain boarding house.

A woman was seen knocking the door of one of the room. It is located in the middle of the boarding house, on the right side of the stairs. It faced to the west so the occupant could see the morning sun. It is, however, an evening, so the entrance was already dark if not for the lighting.

She has long, light orange – almost blonde – hair tied into a ponytail, leaving some of her bangs covering her forehead. She wears a white shirt, blue unzipped hoodie that reveals her womanly figure, a tight blue jean, and a blue-white sneakers.

Her figure could easily attract any man, young or old, handsome or ugly, smart or dumb, engaged or not into her, if not for what she hanged on her belt. It was a katana with a blue scabbard adored with white line. It's handle is the same colour, with gold on the top.

*KNOCK* *KNOCK*

"Yanto?" she called. Apparently she has done it for the past 30 minutes.

*KNOCK* *KNOCK* *KNOCK*

"Yanto? Are you in there?"

A frown was seen on her face.

*KNOCK* *KNOCK* *KNOCK* *KNOCK* *KNOCK*

"Yanto Bahar, OPEN UP!" she shouted. But the man hasn't even answered once.

She grumbled. As she was almost reached for her sword, she hold herself in realization.

' _Not good.'_ She thought. _'I almost retort to violence again.'_

She sighed. Suddenly, a thought crossed her mind.

"Is it possible…" she muttered, while her right hand reaching to the handle.

*CLICK*

Her guess was right. It was not locked at all. It surprised her because she know that the man has a habit to lock the door whether he's outside or not. As she entered the room, she noticed something weird.

Even though the shade was closed, revealing the evening sun that colors the room orange, the light isn't turned on at all. Once again, because of his habit, she knows that something was wrong. She then turned it on, revealing the empty room, devoid of soul instead of her's.

As she wandered, she looked at every nook and crany of the room, trying to search for a clue as to where he could possibly be. The room is, as she expected, clean and tidy, contrary to the image of the typical boy's room. It was due to his mother's – as she liked to call it – 'training' that he's able to live like what he is today.

Her eyes stopped at the sight of a piece of paper on the table. She picked it up, and read the only two sentences that written there.

 _"I'm going._

 _Don't wait for me."_

The paper drifted from her shaking hands onto the floor. Her body, also shaken, starting to slumped as she kneeled on the floor. Then, she looked at the roof and shouted from the bottom of her lung.

"YAANTOOO!"


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer : Touhou and all its characters are belonged by ZUN. I only own my OCs and this story. Any similarities on any parts of the story with another fanfic are unintended.**

 **Chapter 4 :** **Yanto's Perfect Math Class!**

* * *

Tuesday night at the Scarlet Devil Mansion.

It is a cold and clear night without any traces of cloud anywhere. It is one night when the moon reveals itself so clearly, you could almost see the craters. Some people said that during a night like this, if you're lucky enough, you can almost see the Lunar Capital, complete with its sea.

Well, one shouldn't believe everything the other said, though.

A girl with a look that resembles a 10 years old was seen sitting on a chair in one of the balcony. She wears a light-pink dress and mob cap, adored with red ribbons here and there. Her shoulder-length light-blue hair is fluttering from the night breeze. If one looked at her for the first time, one will think that she is the daughter of the mansion's owner because of her childlike appearance. But, if you look at her back, you would notice a pair of dark wing, much like a bat, telling you that she is no ordinary girl. In fact, she is the owner of the mansion herself.

She is the Eternally Young Scarlet Moon, Remilia Scarlet.

In front of her is a cup of red tea, remain untouched if not for a sip or two. Her pair of red eyes gazing at the moon, almost without an expression. No happiness, no sadness. Nothing.

"You're thinking about that again, Remi."

Sitting on the other side of the table with an unusually thick book, is the mansion's librarian, magician, and her longtime friend. She wears a lavender-purple pajama and a night cap with the same color, adored with a golden crescent moon on her cap and red and blue ribbons here and there. Her long hair is a dark shade of purple, along with her eyes. From a glance you could easily tell that she's not one who fond of laborious activity and chooses to expand her mind instead.

She is The Unmoving Great Library, Patchouli Knowledge.

Looking at her vampire friend with a slight, almost unnoticed worried face, she knows that there's something bugging her friend's mind. She already know what that is, though. She just wanted to state the fact.

"No, I'm not." The vampire answered. Not wanting to continue the topic, she quickly tries to change it. "By the way Pache, what did you do at Alice's home earli-"

"Don't change the subject, Remi."

The vampire startled from her magician friend's words. It is unusual for her to use such a strict, almost commanding tone. Then again, she knows that she could never lie at her best friend, especially since they have known for a long time.

"*sigh* Yes, Pache. You know what today is, don't you?"

"You mean the day you lost to the red-white and the rat?"

She pouted. "Don't say it like that…"

That day 5 years ago, the same summer like today, is when Remilia uses her magic to covers the entire Gensoukyou with a thick red mist. The mist itself is so thick, it blocks the sun until the land becomes colder and darker than what it should have been. This causes the two incident-resolver of the land, the red-white miko and the monochrome witch to roam the land to find the source of the mist.

At the time, people wonders as to why she wanted to do that. Some said that she wanted to rule the land, while the truth is that she only wanted to be able to walk outside on the day without her parasol. Almost whimsical, it would seems.

People called it The Red Mist Incident.

"Pache,…" she continued, "…you know that I shouldn't lose that day, don't you?"

"No, I don't. After all, you are the one with the power over fate."

"But still…" she pouted again from her friend's answer.

More than anyone, she knows that she would win. No matter what, the shrine maiden and the witch could never win against her. That is her _fate_.

But just before she could finish them, the unexpected happen.

She failed. She loose to the duo, forcing her to stop the mist. Until now, she still ponder as to why she could fail that day. Not even her magician friend could come with a definite answer.

As a vampire, and as a youkai, she was given a strong sense. That day, when she almost win against the duo, she feels something change in the air. No, it's even worse, it's as if the _world_ itself is changing, right in front of her.

It seems that no one in the mansion knew about this. It was probably due to her power, she thought. She didn't say anything about it to the others too. Instead, she just waved it off, saying _"I already knew I will fail from the start. I just do it because I was bored."_ even though she herself knew better than anyone.

Yet now, she had a premonition. If she was right, something will happen soon, regarding her and the residents of the mansion.

No, it's probably even bigger. It probably would involve the _entire_ residents of Gensoukyou. Even though she still doesn't know exactly what will happen, she knows what to do with it.

"Sakuya." She called her maid. Then in no time, she appeared out of nowhere.

"Yes, Mistress?" the maid in question wears a blue-white French-style maid outfit, complete with apron and a maid headband. Her shoulder-length silver hair worn in long braids on both sides with green bows at the end. On her lap is a silver trays, indicating that she's ready to bring anything her mistress desires.

She is the Perfect and Elegant Maid, Izayoi Sakuya.

"Would you like another tea?" she said, seeing the tea untouched and loose its steam.

"No, it's fine. Say, do we have any schedule for Wednesday?"

"No, mistress. You don't have any schedule nor appointment for tomorrow and the day after." She shook her head slightly. "But, Wednesday will be the day Young Mistress having her weekly lesson with the teacher from the village."

The vampire lifted an eyebrow at her statement. "I'm not asking you about that."

Hearing this, the maid only bowed slightly with a little guilt adored her usual stoic face – her _working_ face. "I'm sorry Mistress. I only meant that I couldn't accompany you on Wednesday, should you intent to go sightseeing or visiting the shrine."

She smirked. She knew that her maid's loyalty to her is unquestionable. She always happy to hear how devoted her maid could be, though sometimes it irritates her how _devoted_ she could be.

"Is that so? Then…"

* * *

"That hurts like hell…"

After a little 'fight' with Reimu – if any other fights contain a dose of a point-blank Fantasy Seal on your face – we decided that we would divide my pay in 1-1-3 parts. One part for me, the other one for Reimu, and the rest is for our living expenses, like food, drink and shrine's maintenance. I didn't like the last part of the deal at first, but seeing that I will stay here for the time being – plus Reimu threatens to give me another punch in the face if I didn't accept – I've got no choice but to agree.

"*yawn* Getting sleepy…"

Reimu already slept earlier in her room. She put my futon in the living room, seeing that the other room is already filled with her stuff and she won't bother to tidy it up. Also, Suika hasn't come back since earlier so I'm in charge of keeping an eye on the shrine.

"Heh, but no drowsiness shall keep me from playing my game." I laughed inwardly.

That's right. A day without playing Touhou almost fells like a living hell. I could feel my fingers already stiff from not doing anything. I looked at my watch that says '22.00'. It means that I still got at least 2 hours before going to sleep. I still need to maintain my health, though now is the only time I could maintain my mental. I mean, what should I say to Reimu and the others, explaining how and why they are in a game?

I unzip my bag and pull out my laptop. It's not a fancy one, just enough for me to do my assignment, play some games and browsing. The spec isn't too high so I doubt that any new and memory-consuming games could fit. The color is also gray, which is my favorite. I wasted no time as I push the switch.

*CLICK*

…there's no reaction.

*CLICK* *CLICK* *CLICK*

Still nothing. Now what did I-

Of course, I forgot to plug the battery, how stupid of me. Now that I already plug it, there's should be no problem…

*CLICK*

…or not.

"Now what's wrong with you, you stupid low-end second-hand laptop?" I grumbled.

…wait a minute, I forgot to charge! No problem, I just need to take the cable, plug one of the end to the laptop, and the other end at the-

.

.

.

"…f*ck."

* * *

I opened my eyes to see that it is already morning.

The curtain is already opened to reveal the morning sun shines warmly, coloring my room with white color. I could hear the bird chirping happily on the other side of the wall.

Reluctantly, I moved my body to a sitting position, stretching my arms upward and let out a long "*yaaaaaaawn*".

*crack*

As I stretched, I could hear the sound of my bones crackling. Even though it feels good, I got a little worried at the sound. Is this a proof that I'm getting…

No, no, no… remove that thought. Remember this, Yukari, you are NOT getting old! You are a beautiful, young woman with a body that could attract any living or dead being. I am even young enough to be called Yanto's onee-chan…

…or even imouto, maybe.

"You've woken up, Yukari-sama."

As my eyes moved from the window, I spotted my shikigami's, Ran's head peeking through the door. She looks beautiful as always, but everyone knows that I am even more.

"It is unusual for you to wake up so early. Did something happen?"

That Ran! Doesn't she knows that I need my beauty sleep? But she is right. I haven't been getting enough sleep lately, mostly because there's too much to think about. Then again, deep inside I knew that she only worries about me and my health. So instead of punishing her, I gave her a warm smile.

"It's nothing. By the way, I smelled something good. Did you make something special?"

She answered by giving me another smile. "No, only the usual." She began to close the door. "The breakfast is ready. You should join us…" but just when it about to fully closed, "…after you're done with stretching and crackling your bones, of course." she added with a giggle.

I think I really need to punish her someday.

After we took the breakfast and Ran helping me with getting ready (with a slap by my fan on her head first, of course), I decided to look at my new apprentice at the shrine. I also considering a time for his another Boundary Lesson. But if my calculation's correct, even after what I'd say to him, he would still try to make a gap without my watch. Even though it does helping him with his training one way or another, nevertheless, I still need to teach him many things he couldn't get in training by himself.

For the time is near, when Gensoukyou needs him and he needs Gensoukyou…

…even if he and the residents themselves not knowing…

"Ufufu, I wonder if he had given much trouble for Reimu~."

* * *

"It's morning again, huh."

Last night me and Yanto decided his pay's division, which of course goes to my favor. Though, I still have to resort to Fantasy Seal to make him yield. You might wondering why I force him to this kind of deal. Think about it, the shrine is my property, and three parts of the pays goes to its maintenance. Now can you imagine how many times do I have to repair the shrine because of spell card battle? The comparison would be like how much drops of rain pours in a day. And with the donation, I couldn't keep up.

*grumble*

Oops, that's my cue. I suppose I should make a breakfast now. Then again, I could make him make another meal this time. I have admit, for his first time the so-called Fried Rice is really good, it almost make me jealous. Keyword : Almost.

What, you don't believe me?

Anyway, I'm sure he's woken up too by now. As a good host, I need to make sure that-

"REIMU!"

What was- I mean, who's that?

"WHERE ARE YOU-ZE?"

…ze? Marisa? What's going-

*BAAM*

"There you are… Come here fast!"

"Eh?"

Suddenly, she grab my hand and pull me hard.

"Marisa! What's wrong?"

"No time-ze! Look!"

She keeps pulling me until we arrived at the living room. There, something bizarre happened.

"…a shivering turtle?"

She facepalmed. "No, look! It's Yanto!"

After I rubbed my eyes, I finally have a clear view of the scene. There, next to the table is a man – that I now recognized as Yanto – covered in blanket except for his head. At first, I thought he's shivering because of the temperature. But seeing that it's summer, it's almost impossible. I looked at Marisa who just shrugged at the scene.

"I don't know anything-ze. I've just arrived and he's gotten like this." Then she looked at me accusingly. "Did you put something in his food-ze?"

"What? Of course not! Why would I do that anyway? After all, he's the one who made the dinner, not me!"

She put her sly face. "Oho, so you two already so close as to make dinner together, is it-ze?"

I could feel my face getting red at her accusation. "Wha- that's not what I meant, baka!" Seriously, she could be so irritating sometimes. Did Yukari's personality somehow rub off on her? "*sigh* Anyway, we should take care of him first."

"*chuckle* Yeah, yeah, no need to get so worked up like that-ze."

I crouched next to him, trying to get his attention. From his expression, he seems to not noticing our presence. "Yanto, you okay?"

"…"

No response. I put the back of my hand to his still trembling forehead to feel his temp.

"…he's normal…"

"I've checked it earlier-ze. I also got no response from him."

I waved my hand in front of him. "Yanto, you hear me? Yanto?"

As if following me, Marisa tries to get his attention too. "Yo, Yanto, what's up? It's me Marisa, and Reimu of course-ze."

"..m-m-mu…"

It's working? "Yes, it's me, Reimu."

"Aw, shucks. She only hears your name-ze."

"Quiet for a second. Yanto, did you recognized me? It's Reimu, remember?"

"…m-m-mu?"

"Yes, yes, it's Rei-"

"Ga…me?" (in japan, game pronounced geemu, almost similar to Reimu.)

"Not game, Reimu!"

"*chuckle* And I thought for a sec that he really can hear you-ze."

"*sigh* You're not helping, Marisa."

She aware of her mistake, and rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry-ze. Should I get Eirin?"

"I guess…"

"My my, what's going on?" another voice could be heard from my back. I didn't need to turn my head to see who it is. I could only sighed. I mean, she couldn't be here at a better time.

"Yukari, could you go now? We need to take care of him." I said, trying to get her out of the shrine.

"Yo Yukari, long time no see. What's up-ze?" greeted Marisa like usual.

She smiled at the witch and waved her hand. "I'm fine, Marisa, thank you. Anyway Reimu, did you put something on his food?"

I grumbled. "I told you it's not that, you gap hag!"

"Ara, but you haven't told me, right~?"

"Grr…" God, can you just give me one day without any incident so I can relax for a bit?

"…Yukari?"

Eh? He said something?

"What was that, Yanto?" I asked him again.

"Yukari…"

"Yes, what is it~?" answered the gap youkai.

"Yukari… YUKARIIII!"

"EEK!"

I couldn't believe what I saw. As if methamorphosing – did I get the word right? – from a turtle to a frog, he jumped almost half a meter from the ground, tackling Yukari and bring her down, laying on the ground.

"Yukari…" growled Yanto from the top of Yukari's body. His eyes changing from a lifeless one to one that looks like a predator's eyes.

"Y-Y-Yanto, what's wrong with you?"

I jawdropped at the scene, and I believe Marisa has the same expression on her face. Yanto, who likes a frog earlier, now looks similar like a lion, laying on top of a lamb, which is on this case is Yukari. His hands grabbed Yukari's wrist, making her unable to move.

But, what makes us really surprised now is Yukari's face. Her face is a mixture of surprised, confusion and scared. The expression she had is priceless, I almost laughed at her. Well, not until Marisa laughed first.

"Buahaahaha! Now that's what I call a tackle-ze!"

"Heh, I have to admit, he got you good, Yukari." I chuckled.

She frowned. "Shut it, you two."

"Yukari…"

"I think he's ready to eat you anytime soon-ze. Ready to give your-"

"Oh please, I'm not such a greenhorn like you two young lady. Of course I already have some experience in this field." She retorted.

" _Young lady_? Does that means, you admit that you're really old?"

She gave me a glare, which is not too scary anymore considering the situation.

"Yukari…"

Her attention reverts back to the man on top of her. "Yes Yanto, did you need something?"

"Yukari… game… laptop… charge…" he said while pointing at the other end of the room. There, something that looks like two sheets of metal laying on the ground. One of them has a lot of black button with numbers and symbols I don't understand. The other one has a dark glass, almost as wide as the metal itself.

"What's that-ze?"

"So that's why…" said Yukari, as if understanding the situation. Then, she opened a gap below her that consumes both of them. Then, another gap appears on the ceiling, drop Yanto…

""WHA-""

*CRASH*

…right on top of us!

"Damn you, gap hag!"

"Ouch, my back-ze…"

"Ara~, and I thought I'm the senior here~." Said Yukari, appearing from another gap next to us.

"Damn, that hurts… wait, where am I?"

* * *

As I opened my eyes, I noticed that I'm in the same place as I'm at last night. Next to me, Yukari is standing while covering her mouth with her fan. From the sound, I'm guessing that she's holding a laugh. Then I feel something on my back, as if I'm laying on a soft, bumpy platform instead of the floor. I looked at my back to see something that horrifies me.

"Yo, you're awake-ze?"

"GAH! MARISA-SAN!"

"Could you get off now?"

"…AND REIMU-SAN!" I quickly get off from them and apologized.

"Yanto,…" said Yukari, getting my attention, "…I understand what's happened. I'll charge your laptop in my house so you can use it tonight."

Memory comes to me like a train. I remembered that last night I couldn't sleep because I don't get to play the game. Then, everything went black again as sleepiness finally gets to me. Then I woke up on top of the two. When I asked them how, the duo just chuckled while Yukari covers her face with her fan that seems…blushing? And they won't tell me no matter how much I begged. Yukari even gave me a death glare when I tried to ask her.

Seriously, what happened?

"And also…" Yukari continued after coughing to get everyone's attention, hands reaching to a small gap on her side, "…here's a book for your teaching reference. You should study it for today if you don't want to disappoint the teacher." and hand me a math book. It looks really similar to the one I had several years ago. The language is also the one I most capable with, my own language. I won't be surprised if she's actually took my old book from my home.

"Thanks…" is the only thing I could say as I hold the book on my hand. I guess I really forgot all about the teaching stuff because I couldn't wait for playing the game. After that, she went off to another gap, saying that she still have some matters to take care of.

"That gap hag. She's probably just dozing off like usual." commented Reimu.

"Says the one who takes a nap all day long-ze."

"What's that?" grumbled Reimu. But when the fight just about to start, another voice coming from the back of the shrine, saving me the trouble of calming the two.

"Mornin' everyone." called the loli-oni.

"Ah, Suika-san." I replied. "Back from your trip from underground?"

"Yeah, we're havin' a party all night *hic* long. By the way Yanto, you're pretty popular in the village, aren't you?"

"Eh? Popular?" I asked. Did people know about me being a teacher?

"Yeah,…" she continued. "…I heard them chattin' with each other when I'm in the mist form. Oh, right, you don't know yet, huh. I can manipulate my density so I can change into a mist. Pretty awesome, huh?"

As usual, "Yeah…" it's really awesome, but I already knows about her power.

"I heard them too earlier." said Marisa. "They're saying something on the line of 'new outsider-teacher' or 'young smart teacher'-ze. Guess they're really expecting you there."

Gulp. It's scary to think how fast a rumor could go in here, considering there's no such thing as 'social media' in Gensoukyou. Then again, I could guess who spread those rumors.

Better not disappointing them. I hate to say this, but let's study!

* * *

It's already '13.25' on my watch. Me and Marisa decided to postpone our weapon-hunting to next day, seeing that I need to prepare for teaching later. The two of us, with Reimu and Suika is in the living room after we finished our lunch.

Last night, Reimu told me to keep it a secret about my knowledge about Gensoukyou. She said that it's for my own safety, but I know better that she didn't want me to bring any trouble at the shrine. I could only nodded in agreement. After all, it's hard enough to explain how the resident could be in a game or such.

That, if I actually had any explanations at all.

As I looked at the three, I noticed that Marisa had changed to her new blue-white witch dress. When I asked her about it, she said that her black one is dirty and is being cleaned. Reimu is still in her red-white miko attire, albeit her tie is now blue instead of yellow. While Suika, well, still in her usual attire of tattered singlet and purple skirt, complete with her booze.

"Say,…" said Marisa, gaining my attention, "…how about I take you to the village today? I also have something to do there, so why not going together-ze?"

"With your broom? Marisa, I don't think he's ready yet." commented Reimu, trying to look worried… or did she?

"Oh, come on, Reimu. I'll be gentle with him. Right, Yanto?" she said, winking at me.

"E-Eh, well, if you don't mind…" I sweatdropped. Somehow the air around her feels like the one with Yukari. Did Yukari's personality somehow rub off on her? Then again, I'm not quite sure about flying yet. Somehow, my gut tells me that it's not such a good idea.

"Well, what do you waiting for? Let's go-ze!"

"W-Wait!" was all I could say before Marisa dragged me outside with her hand on my wrist. Luckily I grabbed the book just in time.

"Have *hic* fun!" waved Suika.

"Be safe." said Reimu as she sips her tea once again.

At the shrine's yard, Marisa released her grip on my arms. She grabbed really hard, unlike a girl's hand, makes me worried that she actually give me a bruise. Then, with a single snap of her finger, a wooden broom suddenly flews from the other side of the shrine onto her hand. After she mounted on her broom, she glanced to me. "Hop on!"

"O-Okay…" I said as I followed her instruction. To be honest, I'm actually excited to the prospect with flying on a broom, with another popular Touhou chara of course. At the same time, I was scared to think how fast she could go – I mean, how fast she _would_ go. Marisa is known as one of the fastest in Gensoukyou, if you didn't count youkais, and half-human of course. Also, given her personality, I doubt it will be a smooth flight.

"Now, ready for a flight of your live-ze?" she said while looking on her back.

"I was never ready…"

Then, she clicked on the dirt with her foot and in no time, we-

*ZOOM*

"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!"

-blast off from the shrine in a speed that match a fighter jet, making me grabbed at anything I could, well, grab.

After a minute or so, I opened my eyes to see the surrounding, only to find something astonishing.

"Whoa…" is the only thing I could say at the moment. The sky is bright blue, revealing how beautiful the scenery is. From afar I could see green mountains forming a line from left to right. In the middle, not too far stood a lone mountain with a big waterfall on its left side, which I assume is the Youkai Mountain. On the right side of the mountain is a big lake, covered in mist, which is Misty Lake, just like its name. And on the front of the mountain is our destination.

"Pretty, isn't it?" commented Marisa.

"Very…" I looked in awe at the scenery once again. I think about how lucky I am to be able to see this before I died. Well, I mean it's not like I gonna die anytime soon, it's just a form of speech, you know. Forget about Grand Canyon, Niagara Falls, Bali, Mount Everest or the others. This is the _real_ Heaven on Earth. The term Land of Paradise really fits it well.

Heck, I'm not even surprised if I somehow hear a Jurassic Park theme song right now.

She chuckled. "It's been a long time since I heard that from Outsiders. By the way, could you remove your hands from me? It's kinda…"

"Remove it from what? I don't feel any-" I looked at Marisa and surprised that my right hand is actually on her chest, holding myself from falling. I quickly released it and hold on to her broom.

"S-Sorry!"

"I-It's okay-ze…" she answered. Somehow she doesn't acts like herself. Did she really angry? Or maybe it's because of what I said…

I sighed. This will be awkward.

* * *

The flight, although a little scary, was surprisingly peaceful. I was lucky that she doesn't do any dangerous maneuver that could make me fall. Though, the rest of the flight is still a little awkward.

When we arrived at the gate of the village, we parted our ways. She said that she wanted to see some books or whatever. I looked at my watch that says '13.30'. I still got a lot of time, so I took my time to have a little sightseeing.

It's not like a usual sightseeing, actually. The better term would probably be 'exploring'. I tried to find some shortcuts and hidden alleys I could use in some tight moments. This proves useful because in my country, particularly my town, you could found a traffic jam at every corner, especially in the morning. So the risk of getting late to school is always hunting me.

In here, however, there still no vehicle like cars or motorcycles that could lead to a traffic jam. There is, however, a risk of people crowding the streets, so I better take some precautions. After some trial and errors, I managed to find at least three shortcuts that could lead to the school. I looked at my watch again that says '13.50'. I need to take a note to find more shortcuts next time.

As I arrived at the front of the school, Keine-sensei is already waiting for me in the front door.

"Good afternoon, Keine-sensei." I bowed slightly at her.

She smiled at me. "Welcome, Yanto-sensei. You arrived just in time."

Yanto-sensei? "Um, just Yanto is fine, you know."

She shook her head. "As a fellow scholar, I should also address you with the same respect you give to me, shouldn't I?"

Gah, I can't win against that smile! "I-If you say so, sensei."

"By the way, is that the reference book you spoke of yesterday?" she asked, her eyes are pointing to my right arm where I hold the book. Yesterday I told her that I need to find some reference first before I could teach. It's been a couple years after all, so I need to review the teaching material for a bit.

While I do speak Japanese, I still have some difficulties with writings and readings, especially in kanji. My knowledge of Japanese mostly comes from anime and school, and the best I could do in their alphabets are hiragana and katakana. Also, considering Gensoukyou was sealed from the outside more than a hundred years ago, I doubt there would be any math book – or any books – that doesn't use kanji.

"Yeah, I found it on a…bookstore yesterday." I lied, of course… There's no way I could tell her that Yukari gave it to me.

"Ah, Suzunaan, isn't it? They do have a lot of foreign books." she said. A _'foreign book'_ is a book that comes from the other side of the border, while _'Suzunaan'_ is a bookstore that mainly sells and rents such book.

"Tell me, Yanto-sensei,…" she continued, "…did you felt anything, _unusual_ , when you're in there?"

"Um…" The shopkeeper of Suzunaan – which is probably the owner's daughter as well – Motoori Kosuzu, secretly collects a lot of rare _'demon books_ ' in the store for a hobby. She also claims that she's the number one collector in Gensoukyou. Because of this, she also had some small incident once or twice.

Well, that's what I got in the web anyway.

Knowing that Reimu sees me as someone who doesn't have any magical or spiritual power, I gotta act like one too. So I'll just gonna say "…not really. What do you mean unusual?"

"So you don't feel it." she sighed. "It's probably just me…"

"What do you mean, Keine-sensei? You mean, you felt something there?"

She shook her head. "It's probably just my imagination. You see, I felt that somewhere inside the store, something _evil_ lurks behind the shadow of the store, hiding between shelves, books and rolls. I don't know what that is, nor how it could be inside. But I'm afraid that there's a youkai that lurks within the store."

Hm…she didn't suspect the demon books yet, huh. Or she simply doesn't know? Anyway, it seems Kosuzu did a good job hiding it "That could be bad…" I said as a matter of fact. "Have you talked to the owner?" I asked, which she shook her head.

"Not yet, as it was just an assumption." she claimed. "However, I already warned the shopkeeper, Motoori Kosuzu-san to distance herself from things she doesn't know, and asked Reimu and Marisa to keep an eye on her. I also checked on her whenever I can."

"Is that so…" I think a trip there once later won't hurt.

"Ah, right. The class is almost started. Are you ready for your first time teaching, Yanto-sensei?"

"*gulp* Ready or not, it's not like I could go back after this far, aren't I?"

She nodded understandingly. "It's okay, I also nervous the first time I became a teacher, but it became smooth along the way, so there's nothing to worry about."

I sighed, trying to calm myself down. "Thank you, Keine-sensei."

"Don't mention it, Yanto-sensei."

* * *

"Stand! Bow!"

"Good afternoon, Keine-sensei!"

"Good afternoon student."

"Sit!"

"Today will be the start of you supplementary math class. As such, I would like to introduce your new math teacher, Yanto-sensei."

"Good afternoon, Yanto-sensei!"

"…"

"Um, Yanto-sensei?"

"H-Huh? What? O-Oh, right. Yes, good afternoon everyone. My name is Yanto Bahar, but you could just call me Yanto-sensei. P-Pleased to meet you everyone!"

Damn, I lost it there! They gonna think I'm a freak now! Okay okay, just take a deep breath and try to calm yourself. Come on Yanto, you can do it!

"*cough* Um, so, basically Keine-sensei recommended me to teach and help you with your math. Because it's just a supplementary class, you don't have to be too uptight. Just take it easy, but be serious. I really appreciate it if you ask me on anything you don't know. And by anything, I mean ANYTHING. Understand?"

"Yes." answered the student. Good, I think I get the gist of it.

"Yanto-sensei…" called Keine, trying to get my attention.

"Yes?" I averted my gaze from the student.

"I'm really sorry, but I've still got some work I left at the office. Do you think you can handle this on your own? I promise I'll help you as soon as I'm done." she said.

Well, I'm in no place to hold her from doing her job. "I think I could handle it. Just finish your job and don't be in a rush." I smiled, trying to convince her.

She nodded. "Well then, good luck. And don't hesitate to call for me if you need help." She turned back to the door and went back to her office.

"Well then, after that's settled,…" I said to myself in particular, and then looked at the student. "…let's study!"

* * *

I took a peek at the classroom once before I went back to my office.

"First, let's review what Keine-sensei has taught you yesterday, shall we?"

He looks energetic, considering his still young age. It looks like he also had an affinity towards the children, seeing how he always smiled at them. I lived long enough to know what a pure smile looks like compare to a smile that covers a hidden meaning. And the way I see it, he doesn't show any bad intentions.

His teaching style seems… unorthodox. Slow enough so the student could keep up but fast enough to follow Outside's curriculum. Lax enough to prevent them from getting bored, but serious enough to keep them on the track. He occasionally looks at his book once or twice for reference, but mostly he search through his memory. If my guess was correct, he would be the type of 'understanding is better than just knowing'. Overall, I think he's competent enough to be a decent teacher.

Yesterday, when he reluctantly accept my request, he said that he is 'not very good at this sort of thing'. I don't know what's he implied, but it could be either he's bad at teaching, or he's not very good at math. Well, the former is a null, but the later? I could only think that he is just too embarrassed to say how good he is. The way he do it, I could only think he is a natural.

I could feel my lips making a small smile. I think I made a right choice yesterday.

I entered my office, locked the door and immediately lay down on the sofa. To be honest, I don't have any job that could be considered urgent right now. I am just a little tired from all the teaching today. After all, I still have one more person to teach this evening, and this particular student needs me to overexerting myself.

*KNOCK* *KNOCK*

Ugh, great. It's not even five minutes since I closed my eyes and someone already disrupted me from my slumber. I swear if it's Cirno or one of her friends trying to prank me, I will headbu-

"Excuse me, Keine-sensei, but do you have a moment?"

That voice… I better not making her wait.

"Yes, just wait a second."

* * *

"Okay… Matsuda." I pointed to a boy in the corner of the class. "What's 6x7?"

"Um…" he still took a second to remember. "It's…43?"

"No, it isn't. It's 42!" said a girl on her left, which I remember her name is Sakura. She smiled at me. "Am I right, sensei?"

"Huh, showoff." commented Matsuda.

"No, I'm not. You're just stupid." She retorted smugly.

"Oh, come on. You just wanted sensei's attention, don't you?"

A blush was seen on her face. "I'm not! You're just jealous because he said I'm smart before. Unlike you who's stupid."

"Why you…"

I sweatdropped at the scene. "Now now,…" I tried to calm them down. "…Sakura, don't make him angry, okay? Remember that you also answered wrong once before."

She looked down with a little pout. "Yes, sensei…"

I nodded, then looked at the boy. "You're almost correct there Matsuda. The correct answer is indeed 42. Try again next time, okay? And keep your emotions in check."

He looked down too. "Yes…"

I sighed. Seriously, ever since the class started, this particular two is always try to argue and put up a fight, while the student who is keeping their attention couldn't help but getting disturbed. I can't imagine what Keine has to face every day.

For today, because Keine already taught them the basic of multiplication, I tried to make them memorize it from 1 to 10. It's almost one hour, and they already memorized until multiplication 5. In the remaining time, I tried to make them memorize multiplication 6 and 7, and give them some questions like the one before to pump up their spirit a little.

*RIING* *RIING* *RIING*

Ah, the bell rung three times, sign of the class has ended.

"Student, remember to practice your multiplication in home. I'll ask Keine-sensei to test you next Monday in multiplication 6 to 10. And don't forget the homework, okay?"

"Yes, Yanto-sensei." echoed the student.

After they left, I decided to look for Keine-sensei in her office. She said that she will help once she's done, but since earlier there's no sign of her coming. Once I reached the door, I knocked slowly, not wanting to disturb her.

*knock* *knock*

"Keine-sensei, the class has ended. Are you done?"

"…"

There's no answer. I tried again, harder this time.

*KNOCK* *KNOCK*

"Keine-sensei, are you in there?"

"…"

Once again, quiet. She's probably too focus or too busy to answer. I decided to took the liberty of opening the door on my own.

"I'm coming in, sensei." I said while peeking my head inside.

Keine's office looks like another typical office out there. There's a working table complete with a chair on the end of the room. On the middle you could see a sofa, a pair of chair and a small coffee table in between. On the right side, there's a water heater, probably kappa-tech, complete with cups and tea ingredients. She said that due to her job, she rarely comes back to her house. So, she made the office to be as comfy as possible, and she seems to succeed.

As I looked inside, I found that the office was empty, devoid of soul. I walked inside, trying to search for any sign as of where she is. The desk was filled with papers and such, a sign of a hardworker. I decided to not touching any of her work, instead I put my palm on her chair.

"…it's cold." which means that she hasn't sit here for a while. I look again, and noticed a sofa on one side of the wall. There's a sign that someone's been sit, or maybe sleep on it. I put my palm once again.

"…warm…" it means that she's been using it earlier. Did she lie about having a job and getting some rest instead? Which reminds me. There's a superstition in my country that says : _'if one's chair is warm, it means one is fertile and will have a lot of children'_. It's warm enough. Judging by her nice bo- *ehem*, I mean posture, and the warmness of the sofa, I'll say that she will have an easy deli-

Wait, stop that you perverted brain!

Anyway, I think that she's not here at the moment, so I'll search in another place. As I walked through the corridor, I noticed that the school's already empty. There's no sign of student nor the teacher, which means that me and Keine were the last two person in this school.

That, if she's still inside.

I shuddered at the thought. Sure, I haven't really met any real ghost throughout my life as a student, but the prospect scares me. Just think about what could they do with me…

No good, no good! Come on, Yanto, keep your act! After all, not all ghost were scary, right? I mean, there's Yuyuko, Mima, Youmu, well the last could be considered a half, but still…

I stopped my thought when I found Keine, standing in the school's entrance while holding its door frame. She's facing outside, so I couldn't really see her face. I don't know why, but her body looks stiff from the back.

"Keine-sensei?"

"…"

…no answer, even at this close. I tried again while holding her shoulder.

"Keine-sen-"

"YES!"

Whoa, that scares me! Just before I could touch her, she suddenly rotates her body 180 degrees to the right. But now after I saw her face, I noticed that she's…pale?

"Is there something wrong, sensei?" I asked worryingly. "You look…sick?"

"A-Ah, it's nothing…" she looked away from me. "How do I say it… there's… something…"

"Something…what?" I asked again. Whatever it is, it's definitely not good if she's acting like this. Suddenly, she looked at me, although still hesitant.

"Yanto-sensei, there's some matters I need to discuss with you."

* * *

"So…"

We found ourselves back at her office. Keine, now sits on one of the sofa, holding a cup of tea she made earlier. Me, on the other hand, sipping a nice, cup of black coffee. I'm surprised that she's actually have one. Apparently coffee is a little rare in Gensoukyou, and she buys some out of a whim, but never actually tasted one.

You really should taste one, Keine. You really should.

Anyway, we've been in this position for about 10 minutes and she haven't speak a single word! It's not that I'm not patient or anything. It's just that I felt that she's unsure of talking about this. I think I need to take the initiative.

"Yes?" she averted her gaze from the tea.

"Mind telling me what the matters is?" I asked.

She looked away, probably still hesitate. "I don't know, Yanto-sensei. I mean, it's not in my place to ask of this, I-"

"Just Yanto is okay."

"…what?" she looked back at me.

"It's okay if you just call me Yanto when we're alone, you know. No –sensei, no –san, just Yanto." I said. I mean, it feels weird to be called 'sensei' every time from someone who's not a student. "Look, I know we're both teachers, so we both have a same social standing, right? So it's fine to call me with just my name, okay?" I smiled, assuring her. The other reasons I wanted her to call me so, is to make her feel calmer and easier to say the matters to me.

She paused for a while before she gave a chuckle. "Is that so? Then, let me do the honor, Yanto. But in exchange, you also have to call me Keine."

I smiled. I think I made her calm enough. "Okay then, Keine-sa-"

"Just KEINE. Okay, Yanto?"

I gulped. Her smile looks like one who could stab you at any moment if you do any wrong move. "O-Okay, Keine…"

Her smile changed back to her usual one. "Now where was I? Oh yes. Actually,…" she looked me serious in the eye. "…I have another student I teach privately."

I raised an eyebrow. "Privately?"

She sighed. "Yes, privately. Because of some… circumstances, she couldn't go to school like any other student." She took a sip of her tea. "Today should be the day for her weekly lesson. But earlier, her… caretaker, asked me to postpone the schedule till tomorrow. The problem is tomorrow is the day I have a meeting with the village chief. I already asked the caretaker for the day after tomorrow, but she said that it has to be tomorrow, so that leaves me hanging…"

I thought about it for a while. A student, taught privately by Keine because of circumstances I don't know, and I got the feeling that she won't tell me about it anytime soon. She said that the student have a caretaker, which means that either she's rich, she's in need of one, or it could be both.

I decided to be blunt. "So, you're asking me to teach her for tomorrow, right?"

She looked down to her cup. She speaks very slowly. "…yes… I mean, you have done me too much favor already, Yanto. First being a teacher, then calling you without honorifics,…" she looked at me almost desperately, "…and then this? I couldn't possibly ask for more!"

I startled at her response. Her face now is, I don't know, filled with guilt? It's almost like the face of someone's mad, not at the others, but at herself.

Now I understand. She's the type who is not used to be asking for anything, someone who is not too keen on making others carry her load. I guess being an independent woman has its down too. I could relate to her because I once had a problem like this too in the past. Luckily, I had change for the better.

I put down the cup while sighing. "Keine, let me tell you something. My father used to tell me that if someone asking for your help, you have to do it for free."

She looked at me questioningly. "For free? You mean…"

"It means that if we help someone, it's not because we wanted anything in returns. We help because we really wanted to help. If not, then we better not helping them at all. By following this principle, we could lead to a more sincere life."

She still looks at me with a face that says 'I don't get it'. "Look, what I mean is, I once had a problem like yours too. Doing every things on your own, feeling bad if you suddenly had to ask for help, the whole 'my responsibility is my OWN responsibility' and so on. So I get what you feel."

I think she still don't get what I said at all, what with holding a statue-like face. "The point is, you don't have to feel bad to ask for another's help. Sure, he may reject you or accept it unwillingly. If so, just search for another people, no probs! After all, it's better than leaving things undone, right?"

Still no answer. I kind of getting tired explaining things one after another. "Keine, what I mean is that I-"

"*chuckle*"

Eh, she chuckled?

"*chuckle* *chuckle* Ahahaha! Oh my, that was, was… ohohohahaha!" suddenly, she laughed hardly. By hardly, I mean HARDLY. One hand holding her pained stomach, while the others covering her mouth. Though, the later seems failed to do so.

I could only blushed at her. "Did I said something weird?"

"Ohoho, oho, o-o-of course not! It's just that the way you said it is so, so-ohohohahahaha!"

I facepalmed. Mom always said that I have a bad habit of explaining things weirdly, but I didn't think it would be this weird. For a good 3 minutes I could only wait until she finished laughing.

"O-Oh my, that was a good one. Now where was I? Oh yeah, so you're saying that you're really fine with taking yet another request from me?"

Not really on the spot, but meh, close enough. I simply nodded. "Yeah, and remember this. Don't even try to pay the favor by any means, 'cause if you do, I'll be damn sure I'm gonna reject it."

She showed her relieved face by smiling. "Thank you, Yanto. Then, if you really don't mind, I would like to ask you…"

"Sure, go ahead." I took a sip of coffee while waiting for her to continue.

"…to be Flandre Scarlet-chan's tutor tomorrow."

*BUUUUURST*

* * *

 **And that, folks, is how you waste a good coffee!**

 **To be honest, I relieved to be able to release yet another chapter just before the new year, because I'll be taking a lot of time for the exam next week 'till the next 4 weeks, and probably starting to write again in the middle of January. Also, considering the length, I'm surprised I could manage till this far.**

 **Oh yeah, about Yanto tutoring Flandre, it's kinda obvious, don't you think? I'll try to tell why Keine couldn't reject more and why Yanto couldn't say no for tutoring Flan-chan in the next chapter.**

 **Oh yeah, about the 'caretaker', Keine wanted to use the word 'maid', but since Yanto is from the Outside, she's afraid that Yanto won't get what she meant (she tought that maids were no longer exist there. oh how were you so wrong.)**

 **Oh yeah, I noticed that I used too much oh yeah already! Sorry about that (gets a Master Spark in the rear by Marisa because of the lame joke)**

 **Next, I will now answer the first review I've got for the story. Hooray!**

 **IronSandSasori : I must say this is a good one to read. I find the setting relateable, including the language. I may continue to check the story. Btw, how does Math relate to dimension portal power? XD**

 **Thanks for the compliment, my good man. Anyway, about the math and the gap thing? I will reveal it much, much later, but not in the next chapter. First, it's just something I came up with while I think 'how does a Border Lesson look like?', but the more I think about it, I feel that it could add up to the story. It will or will not an important aspect from his past, probably.**

 **Oh yeah, and BTW, it should be relatable instead of relatEable. Don't worry, I used to be wrong too over many, many times.**

 **And now, for the warning.**

 **Earlier in the first chapter, I've said that I have planned about this story for long. Well, the effect is starting in the next chapter. I will put some of my original theory to the story, one you might find impossible or utterly weird. The story will probably get weirder and almost impossible. You might start thinking 'but shouldn't this/that' or 'this would be better if' and so on.**

 **That said, if this story gets too weird for you to read, do not hesitate, I mean do NOT hesitate to leave it. In the first place, I wanted to test my skill in writing, but in the end, I don't wanna disappoint you.**

 **No, I'm not gonna saying things like 'there would be a torture scene' or 'there wouldn't be H scene', it's just that it's going to get weird.**

 **Also, don't forget to review for any flaws you found. And if you find a better route or a suggestion for me to write, don't hesitate to say it. It will really help me building this story.**

 **The last, I forgot to add some line in the first chap, I'll try to fix it right away.**

 **Until next time, then :v**

 **Also, sorry for the lack of epilogue for now.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer : Touhou and all its characters are belonged by ZUN. I only own my OCs and this story. Any similarities on any parts of the story with another fanfic are unintended.**

 **Chapter 5 :** **The Title is The 1** **st** **Sentence.**

* * *

I'm pretty much f*cked.

That's my considered opinion.

F*ck.

Two days into what should be the greatest time of my life, and it's turned into a nightmare.

I don't even know who'll read this chapter. I guess someone will find it eventually. Maybe a hundred years from now.

For the record, I- *sigh* Okay, enough copying from another book. This story won't get more followers anyway.

I should've laugh at this moment for 'cause I'm pretty much f*cked. I don't know why, but I think Yukari somehow put a bad-luck-magnet inside of me ever since I'm here. Starting with falling from the height, get slapped by a Muthaf*ckin Fantasy Seal, and now I have to literally enter the devil's den to teach the said devil's imouto, and make sure I didn't get my b*tt destroyed so I can give a certain stingy miko a portion of my paycheck!

…well, at least I've seen her body, so I guess it's not really a win-lose situation.

I sighed as I looked to the evening sky of Gensoukyou. I noticed that there aren't many clouds today, so the sun is still shining as always, though the sky's already orange. The birds are chirping, sign of the end of their food hunt. The breeze are gently caressing my face, fluttering my short black hair a little. People already closing their shops, sign of ending the day. On the streets are only villagers returning home or occasional children playing on the side of the road.

Looking closer, this place sure is beautiful. Fans always depicted Gensoukyou as – like its name – a paradise. The one where you couldn't find even if you search 'till the edge of the world – which is pretty much not exist – and after I came here, well, I couldn't say that I'm disappointed. In fact, I wouldn't mind if I forced to stay here until I die.

No… I would even beg for the sake of staying here if I could stay away from my past. That one, wretched past. The one I wish I won't remember again. I swear, after I learned what's wrong with my parent's death, I will lead for a better live. Better than the one before _that day_ happened.

*sigh* Okay, okay, enough griefing, more thinking. Looking back, I wonder why I accept Keine's request…

…

" _*cough* *cough* *cough*"_

" _A-Are you okay, Yanto?" asked Keine as she handed me a handkerchief._

" _*cough* I-I'm fine. By the way, thanks." I replied while I took the fabric with my right hand and wiped my mouth._

" _No, I should be saying sorry right now." she looked down slightly. "You… must have heard of the rumor, right?"_

" _Well…" more like I know them from the game. Which reminds me. I don't know exactly how accurate the game could be compared to the real thing, so I'd like to clear some confusions first. Maybe I could get more info from her. "…sort of. But what exactly is this rumor you talking all about? Does it relate with how dangerous the Scarlet Devil Mansion (SDM) is?"_

" _Kind of…" Keine trailed, "…but let me ask a question first. How much do you know about the SDM already?"_

" _Well…" I answered, "…I already know that a vampire lives there, and her imouto is confined in the basement because of her destructive power and – I'm sorry – 'slightly disturbed mind'. How far is that from the truth?"_

" _Not too far, actually. You see, the vampire's imouto, Flandre Scarlet-chan, has the ability to destroy absolutely anything and everything. It is said that because of this, Remilia Scarlet – the vampire herself – confine her own sister in the basement in case of her power running amok. This may or may not cause Flandre's mind to become – I'm sorry as well – 'slightly disturbed', just like you said."_

" _Though…" she continued, "…I don't really know how far astray I am from the truth, just as you. I don't know why Remilia confine her little sister, why Flandre's mind became like that because I never ask about it to them from the beginning. Most that I heard were also from the rumors that goes around the village. However, what can I tell you is this: Flandre Scarlet is not as bad as you think she is."_

 _I raised an eyebrow at her last statement? "Not as bad? Could you elaborate?"_

" _Now, as a scholar, you do know that there are several types of truth, don't you?" she asked back._

" _Eh? Truth? Hmm…" I was a little unprepared for a question like this, what with asking a philosophical-type one. I thought as I put my right hand on my chin, "…as far as I know, each people interpret it differently, though I can't remember any of it."_

" _Right. Me too, have my own interpretation. For me, there are 3 types of truth, which is my version of the truth, people's version of the truth, and the real truth. The real truth is what we could call 'reality', pure and untouched by anyone's sensory perception. When a person 'touch' said truth, it becomes the people's version of the truth. This version then distributed through numerous individual, either by mouth or a media, until it reach us. When it do reach us, it became our own version of the truth. The more individual distributing the truth, the further it is from the real truth – the reality."_

 _I nodded, still in thought. "I agree with that. Each individual do have different ways of interpreting stimulus. For example, imagine if you see a random image. You may thought that the image looks like something, while people thought that it looked like an entirely different thing. Have you heard about "The Rorschach Test"?"_

" _Ah yes, the Rorschach, I've read it in a book before. Also, we don't know if somehow a person put a lie on his truth, be it intentional or not. The more people put lies in their truth, it would be further away from the real truth. And-"_

" _Sorry Keine,…" I interrupted her with raising my hand. "…but I think that's where you went wrong. If each person interpret the truth differently, then there's no such thing as 'people putting their lies'. By only 'touching' a truth, people already 'divert' the truth from the real truth, thus unintentionally 'lies' to themselves. That goes to the types you said earlier. There won't be my version or your version of truth anymore, there's only non-truth, or as people like to say it: lies. There also won't be any real truth anymore, there's only reality."_

 _A little silent before Keine starts to reply, "So that's how you see it. That could also be the truth."_

" _Ah, but it is a lie."_

" _A lie? What do you- Oh, right… then, let me put a belief in your 'lie', even if it's just a little."_

" _Be my guest. Also, I think we may stray a little from our topic earlier." I reminded her._

" _Oh, I almost forgot. Where were we… oh right, about Flandre-chan. The rumors about her in the village have already spread faster and wilder than a wildfire. Starting from her being a psychopath to downright sadistic. From her ability to destroy anything to being in 5 meter radius from her could kill you. What can I assure you is that none of them is true."_

" _Except about the part about her ability to destroy anything?" I corrected her._

"' _Except' about the part about her ability to destroy anything." she nodded._

" _*sigh* Let me guess, the tengu did all of this."_

" _Unfortunately, it is. If you thought only youkai who read their newspapers, then you are wrong. Recently, the locals started to take an interest towards reading. They said that it is unfair that only youkais and gods who knows everything about the advance in Gensoukyou. Then the tengus came for their salvation. Right now, they still took all the news unfiltered, accepting everything and anything in it. *sigh* If only they knew…"_

" _I have a feeling that you're having a hard time against all of this." I commented._

" _Of course I do! Just imagine when they heard about the social upheaval. The villager's all ganged up, saying that 'humans should also stood up against youkai', 'we are not a weak creature', 'the top of the food chain' or whatever they were blabbering of! Luckily I managed to calm them down, but for how long? I don't know. Honestly, this is such a pain!" she took a sip of tea to calm herself down._

" _I think I get what you're feeling. There's a lot of people outside that is either over-proud of themselves, think that they're smart or just downright stupid. Honestly, right now I can't even stand watching a television for even a minute. Not even on the internet could I found my salvation." I followed by a sip of my coffee._

" _Well, at least someone understand. By the way, I also read about you and Reimu. Something about the two of you become lovers or something."_

 _I almost chocked on myself when I heard that "*cough* Wait, what? Just where did that come from? And why haven't I heard of it before?" Damn, it must be Aya._

" _For your record I don't actually believe most of it, and I believe the villagers too. Well, except for some. What I know is that you live with her and that's it. And, between you and me…" she closed her distance to me and whispered, "…do you actually believe that miko had any money to even subscribe?"_

 _I chuckled a little. "Well, I'm just glad that nobody takes them too seriously…" I'm not one fond of attentions after all. "…but we're straying from the topic again. What is it about Flandre again?"_

" _O-Oh, right, sorry. Well, the point is, you won't get killed instantly like the one in the rumor. Her caretaker were also watching from the end of the room in case of something happen. And also…"_

" _And also?"_

"… _actually, besides the two incident resolvers and the maid, she never met with any human male before. So sooner or later, I have planned for you to meet her." she said. Then, she did something I would never imagine._

 _She kneeled in front of me, then prostrate her head until it reach the ground._

" _W-Wha-!?"_

" _Yanto, I'm sure that for the past two days we've known each other, I've been only asking you weird, unreasonable request. But please, I'm begging you, just this once, let me ask you just one more. I…" then she looked up at me "…I won't even mind if you ask me anything!"_

" _O-O-Okay, Okay! I'll do it, Keine, but please, just stand up!"_

…

"*sigh* That really took me off guard."

Seriously. I never thought that Keine would do such a thing. Even if she said 'unreasonable', I still think that it's okay. First, I do need a job, so it's a win-win situation, right? Second, the SDM is on the list of Must-Visit in Gensoukyou Tour & Travel, so it's also a win-win. But…

I wonder how Flandre's real personality is.

As of now, I have absolutely no idea how she communicate with others. I haven't reach her in the game yet, thanks for my lack of skills, so I haven't had the chance to read her dialogues at all. The fandom didn't really help me either in this part. Is she a psyco-lunatic girl, or is she just a little hard to handle? Well, I won't get the answer no matter how much I ponders about it. The only way to tell…

…is to experience it first-hand.

I looked at my clock that says '16.03'. The walk from here to the shrine took nearly one hour, so I better not wasting my time. It's almost dark, and there's absolutely no way I want to meet any flesh-biting bone-crushing blood-sucking youkai on the way there.

"*sigh* Not the stairs again…"

As I walked my 5th steps, a salvation was descended upon me.

"Yo Yanto, gettin' home?"

"Ah, Marisa-san, thank goodness… back to the shrine too?" I asked to the magician behind my back.

"Yup. Reimu said that you'll cook for the dinner, remember? So I can't wait to taste it-ze!"

"Wait, when it's become a fact that I'm the cook for dinner?" I asked.

"Ah, don't think about it too much. Once she get her hands to you, there's no way she's gonna let go-ze. Oh, and by the way, you're the first human whose cooking she admitted was good, you know?"

"Haah?" I raised my eyebrow? "The first? Where did you put Alice and Sakuya?"

She looked at me for a second before she answer. "Well, technically Alice is a youkai magician, and Sakuya, well…"

"Questionable?"

"Yep. Questionable-ze."

 ***SCHRACK***

"What was that?"

I heard a sound of a bush being beaten on my left.

"Sshh,…" hushed Marisa, "…it could be a youkai-ze."

"*gulp* Damn…" Holy sh*t. Oh please, just no. I don't even have any weapon to defend myself yet.

"Don't worry-ze, I got you covered. Now…" she pointed her hakkero to the source of the sound. "…come on out or I'll bet you to a pulp!"

Not even 5 seconds 'till we get the answer.

"H-Help…" a faint voice was heard.

"Hold on, Marisa-san." I said while trying to lower her right hand. "Who are you and what are you doing there?"

The person took at least another 5 before answering.

"P-Please…help…me…"

*THUMP*

That voice… Don't tell me…

"Hey Yanto, what're you doing? Wait up!"

I rushed to the source followed by Marisa on my back. Then, in no time…

"Oh no…"

"*pant* *pant* Hey Yanto! What's the point of runnin- wait, A PERSON?"

"This is bad… Mia! Are you okay? Answer me, Mia!"

* * *

I can't believe what I saw with my eyes.

A person was laying unconscious on the ground, full of bruise and scratch all over her body. On her side is a katana, still in its scabbard. And Yanto knew her?

"Yanto, who is she-ze?" I asked.

"She's… my younger cousin, Mia." he answered. Then she looked at me. "Marisa-san, is there any medicine on the shrine? Something like a… bandage or something?"

"How should I know-ze?" I answered. I looked closer at his cousin. "Is she okay?"

"I think she is. I can still feel her pulse, but…" he said worryingly. "Marisa-san, can I ask you a favor?"

"S-Sure, what is it?"

"Please look for a doctor in the village or Eientei. For now…" he asked while trying to carry his cousin on his back. "I'll take Mia to the shrine. Reimu might have some medicine for her scratch, but I'm worried about her purple marks."

I nodded. "Okay, but be careful. It's almost dark after all-ze." I said before I flew to the sky.

* * *

"Weird, definitely weird-ze." I mumbled in my flight.

I know from the first time I saw him that he's different. You know that feeling when you meet someone, and instantly you thought "I need to keep my eye on him. This guy's gonna get me or himself into trouble-ze."? Something like that.

Reason? Obviously his face.

He doesn't show any expression an Outsider should have. Shocked, surprised, despair, bored, nothing of a short. Heck, he even got a job on the first day, and to be a teacher even!

Next, he knows about Alice and Sakuya. Sure, we've talked about them maybe once on a chat yesterday or today. But to know about their cooking? Not likely. After all, Reimu's not the type to talk about that kind of thing, so maybe he knows it from somewhere else.

"Yukari… what're you up to this time?"

I flew straight away to the Bamboo Forest. The doctor in the village might have closed this late in the evening, so Eirin's my last chance. Which reminds me. Where did he know anything about Eientei?

As I got near the outskirt of the forest, I quickly search for my guide.

"Man, where's that immortal-ze… Mokou, where are you?!"

"*sigh* No need to be so loud…"

I quickly turned my back and grabbed said immortal's shoulders.

"H-Hey, watch it!"

"Mokou, I need your help. Quick! Show me the way to Eientei!"

"Oi, no need to rush, okay? You forgot your –ze." she said while removing my hands. "Don't tell me… someone's getting hurt?"

"Yeah, an Outsider near the shrine."

"Hakurei?" she asked.

"Hakurei." I nodded.

"Well let's get going then. I need to set up my stand after all."

* * *

"So…"

"Hm?"

"I understand why Reisen have to follow us. But Mokou too, seriously-ze?" I said to the immortal who flying behind me.

"Ah, don't sweat it. Let's just say that I've got nothing to do tonight and I got bored." she answered.

"Besides running your stand? Or at least fight-to-the-death-and-rise-again with the NEET princess-ze?"

"I'm not in the mood for fighting tonight, 'sides…" she answered again, "…I'm actually all out of yakitori."

"Heh? It's rare to see you ran out of ingredients before, Mokou-san…" commented the lunar bunny on my left

"Nevertheless,…" said the doctor on my right, "…we might want to get there soon. Marisa, could you describe the person for us?"

"Sure." I said while remembering. "Girl, maybe the same age as me or a little older-ze. Same height as Reisen or Sanae. Orange hair, blue-white outfit, nice… um…"

"Nice… what?" asked the immortal.

"She have… um… nice… um… figure-ze…"

"Figure? How so?" asked the bunny.

"Well, it's kinda hard to describe-ze… how do I say it… ah, you'll understand when you see her-ze." I said, dismissing the topic.

"While I'm grateful that you are going through such length to describe her, what I asked you is actually how bad her injury is." said the doctor.

"Yes." continued the bunny. "You practically forced us to rush to the shrine. Because of that, I've no time to bring out the medicine and only brought basic first aid."

"Ehehe, sorry-ze." I said while scratching my back-head. "Hm… full of scratches from top-to-toe, clothes are torn up, purple marks on her foot, maybe on the arms too. Oh, and she looks very tired-ze."

"Typical of a stranded Outsider." commented the immortal.

"Fairies?" asked the bunny.

"Nah, usually youkai. Fairies are not that brute. Though, I'm surprised that there're two spirited away on two days straight." answered the immortal.

"Ah, I forgot the most important detail."

The others raised an eyebrow.

"The two are cousins-ze."

* * *

"They're late…"

It's almost dark outside, but there's no sign of Marisa or Yanto getting back. They should've come back long before. Not to mention the youkais are getting rowdier in the night.

"Probably just hangin' out somewhere. You know how Marisa *hic* is." said Suika.

"*sigh* I'm not worried about her in the least. You know Yanto never have any danmaku training before, right? He doesn't have any weapons either."

"Oh? Rare to see you carin' 'bout some random dude. *hic*"

"Shut up, drunkard. I only worried about dinner, that's all."

"Yeah, yeah." she said before she took another chug. "Wait, he can cook?"

"Only one dish, he said. But-"

"REIMU-SAN! SUIKA-SAN!"

"Yanto?"

I quickly rushed to the front side of the shrine, followed by Suika, to find Yanto carrying an unconscious person – seemingly a girl – on his back. He also carries a sword on his right hand.

"Help! She's been injured! Medic!" he shouted.

"Whoa… looks like some nasty youkai attack." commented Suika.

"What happened?" I asked, before I quickly dismissed my thought. "Never mind that. Quick, get her on the shrine!"

After I put the futon in the middle room, Yanto put her on it carefully and leave the sword – which I now recognized as katana – on the corner of the room.

"I'll get some medicine first on the back!" said Suika, leaving the three of us alone.

After we calmed down a little, I tried to gather some information. "So, what happened?" I asked.

"Well, I was walking on the stairs with Marisa-san when I heard a strange noises like someone asking for help. When I get to the source, I found her, already like this. I asked Marisa-san to get the doctor while I carry her to the shrine." he explained briefly.

"Carry her? On you back? Alone?! The stairs are very high, you need at least 15 minutes just walking down! Are you crazy or someth-" my voice was halted when I saw his expression.

Worried. It's the first word that comes out in my head when I saw him. It's not just that kind of worry you got when you saw your friends injured or something. No, it was deeper. It's that kind of worry a parent have for her children who got lost in the forest. That kind of worry a wife had when her husband hasn't come back from work for days. That kind of worry a brother have for his growing-up imouto. It all comes down to me the next second.

The two of them have a family relation.

I decided to take my guess. "Yanto, is she… your family?"

He closed his eyes before he answered. "*sigh* Yes. Her name is Hanamia Bahar, but I usually called her Mia. She is my younger cousin from my father's side of the family."

I can't say that I'm not shocked upon hearing his statement. Two outsiders stranded on two days straight, and they have a relation? This could only be the work of that gap hag.

Suddenly, Suika burst into the room. "I got a towel and water, but I can't find the medicine! Did we ran out of it?" she asked while carrying a bowl of water.

"Ah, great, I forgot. Now…" I said while looking at Yanto, "…you should get out of the room for a while. Go to the kitchen and make us some dinner or something."

"But, Mia is-"

"Yanto." I said sternly, which make him startled a little. "I need to remove her clothes to check the injury. Now, unless you want to be labelled a pervert for the third time, I suggest you to get out right now."

He still looks hesitant, but finally said "Okay. But please take care of her."

I smiled, trying to assure him. "Don't worry. She's in the right hand."

* * *

"God… why did this have to happen?"

I lean my back to the wall after I close the door. My body still felt a bit tired after all that running. But, I can't seem to take my mind off her. I looked at the ceiling when a memory ran through me like a train.

" _Whatever, I don't care! Just take that college and ran away again like before!"_

"*sigh* Not that again…"

It feels like, what… four years or so after the last time I met her? I could barely remember. She's the only one who took me and John – make it 'only John' – to the airport before we went to the uni. That face, that stoic face every time I glanced at her for the last time in the airport, feels just like yesterday. Well, at least I could saw her smile when she looked at her boyfriend.

" _No one really cares for you, anyway!"_

"Ugh… damn!" I could feel my head slightly pained because of overthinking. How could she stranded here too? What attacked her? Will she be okay? I rubbed my forehead with my fingers to reduce the pain.

"Calm, Yanto, just calm down… no point of thinking it right now…" I muttered to myself. "Repeat this to yourself: there is no way, repeat, there is NO WAY you will go back with her. There is NO F*CKIN' WAY IN HELL you will go back with her!" I grumbled, though I tried to suppress my voice.

A series of sigh runs through my mouth. I don't know what exactly is going on, but I could assure myself this: Yukari is definitely involved. I make a note in my head to ask Yukari when I meet her again.

No, I don't wanna be angry to anyone right now. There's no point in losing from an emotion. No, I'm not angry to Yukari, not angry to Mia, not angry to myself.

No, not even my past.

Suddenly I remembered what Reimu said about dinner. Did she really serious about me making dinner? I only know one dish, you know?

"*sigh* Whatever. I think I should make it now." I said to myself before I go to the kitchen. "Better make some for the doctor too."

* * *

"*sniff* Hmm… smells good…" commented Suika at the smell in the air.

"That's what I tell you before." I said to her.

The two of us are in the middle of checking Mia's body while the smell of Yanto's cooking tingle our nose. Most of her upper limb is fine, except for her arms and head. Her arms and legs are covered with scratches and some bruise. I already washed her scratch with water and Suika's alcohol – much to her disagreement – while waiting for the doctor to come. But what I'm worried about the most is her left foot.

On her left calf, there's a wound that's possibly from a youkai's claw. Their claw doesn't usually have poison on it, but it's deep enough so that it could leave her limp for a while.

"But, after seeing her body,…" Suika commented, "…wow…"

"Yeah, wow…"

Her body is… how should I describe it, womanly? Yes, that's the word. Imagine a pure, innocent face – kind of like Youmu, for example – with a body of a fully-grown woman in the peak of her beauty. Not too fat, not too thin, filled with meat in the perfect places, especially "there". I mean, can you imagine it? What happen if Youmu growing up, having a body of Byakuren, for example? That would clearly make all of us-

"Jealous."

"Yes, I- wait, what? How can you read my mind?!" I asked the oni in bewilderment.

She slightly shook her head. "Nu-uh, just got a same thinkin' as you."

Well, anyway, what I noticed next is her katana.

It is a katana with a light blue scabbard adored with white line. It's handle is the same colour, with golden ornament and buttcap. Its guard is circle-shaped, with light blue on its center and gold on its edge. The back of the blade is gray colored, while the edge is clearer, iron-colored silver.

I noticed that the katana is clean, too clean. There's no blood, no cracks, no sign of it was ever been used. But when I checked her back pocket, I found a white, blood-stained cloth, which gave me a question: did she really used the katana before?

"Reimu! I brought Eirin-ze!"

I heard a sound from the back of the shrine. I ordered Suika to keep an eye on Mia, then walked to the outside to found Marisa with Eirin, Reisen, and… Mokou?

"Wait, why're you here?" I asked the immortal.

"Well, let's just say that I've got nothing to do tonight." the immortal answered while shrugging.

"Besides fight-to-the-death-and-rise-again with the-"

"Okay, okay, I get it, Reimu, I get it! *sigh* It's not like I fight with her every night." she claimed.

"By the way, Reimu,…" said the doctor, "…where is she?"

"She's inside." I pointed my thumb to the shrine on my back. "You should check her quickly, she's got some bad injury."

When we're inside, they suddenly stopped their track at the door and looked at the victim.

"Whoa…" commented Reisen.

"Yeah, whoa…" gulped Marisa.

"I cannot believe it. You're right, Marisa, this is…" said Eirin.

"Yeah,…" continued Mokou, "…I can't believe someone like her even existed. I mean, did God really this unfair to made someone this attractive or someth-"

"Not that, Mokou-san, I mean the injury!" shouted the bunny. "Though, I can see where you're going…"

"Told you." said Marisa while pointing at the three. "Anyway, can you really cure her, Eirin? Seems bad enough, don't you think-ze?" asked Marisa to the doctor.

"Yeah, I think the injury's too deep. Even if she survived, I doubt she could walk normally again." I said with a concern.

"Don't worry. There is nothing the moon's technological advance cannot handle." Eirin said confidently. Then she turned to Mia with a serious gaze. "Udonge, prepare the medicine!"

"Yes, master!"

* * *

"Hmm…" I put my right hand on my chin in thought.

A couple minutes ago, I peeked outside at the kitchen's window to find Marisa with three other persons standing on the back of the shrine.

One of them has long, largely-braided silver-white hair and dark grey eyes. She wears a seemingly red-dark blue nurse outfit, with her left shirt being dark blue, her right red, and the other way around for her skirt. She also wears a blue nurse cap with a red cross. Her clothes and cap were covered with constellations, while her skirt also has trigrams lining at the bottom. Overall, she is filled with the aura of an intelligent nurse.

She is the Brain of the Moon, Yagokoro Eirin.

Next to her is a girl with a long light-purple hair and red eyes. On her head is a pair of long white rumpled rabbit ears. She wears a short-sleeved white shirt, a red necktie, a purple belt on her shirt, and a blue skirt. There's a carrot-shaped clip on her necktie, and she's holding a wooden suitcase on her left hand, probably filled with medicine.

She is the Lunatic Red Eyes, Reisen Udongein Inaba.

The last person has an ankle-length white hair and red eyes. She wears a seemingly burnt light brown button-up shirt and a dark red overalls. Her overall is decorated randomly with white paper charms with red writings on it. Her hair is also tied with the same talismans. One tied as a ponytail ribbon, the others tied at the end of her hair. She wears a calm, almost bored expression with her hands on her pocket which gave her a boyish aura.

She is the Figure of the Person of Hourai, Fujiwara no Mokou.

I raised an eyebrow at the company. I understand why Reisen had to come, considering her position as Eirin's assistant. What I don't understand is why the immortal had too. Then a thought crossed my mind. _Will the rice be enough?_

Luckily for me, it is. It's probably still enough for the next day also. Unfortunately, we ran out of eggs. There're only 5 available, so I have to split it up evenly, making it smaller than what it should've been.

 _I don't know why, but I guess cooking have avoided me from my bad thoughts earlier. I can't say that I don't like it._ I mused.

"That's for me, that's for Mia, those two for Reimu and Suika,…" I mumbled while pointing at the dish, "…those are for Marisa, Eirin and Reisen, and that's for Mokou."

Yesterday, Reimu said that the rice is a little spicy, so I reduced the chili in her dish. I also put the same amount in Marisa's, Suika's, Reisen's and Eirin's rice, considering I don't know how their preferences are. For me and Mia, I put a little more than what I've made yesterday, knowing how fond she is with spicy food. As for Mokou, well, I took a guess and put the same amount of chili in her dish considering her title as the Human Inferno.

…It's okay, right?

Because of the amount of the dish, I have to cook the rice three times. First is Reimu's, Marisa's and Suika's. Second is Reisen's and Eirin's. Last is me, Mia's and Mokou's because the difference in spice. This makes me staying longer in the kitchen than I expected before.

"Yanto, are you *hic* done yet? *sniff* *sniff* Hmm… smells good…"

I looked at my back to see a certain loli-oni peeking at the door. She then rushed to me and eyeing the dish.

"Whoa, looks good… Hey, is it done yet? What took you so *hic* long?" asked the oni while looking up at me.

"Too much guest today." I stated bluntly. Then a thought crossed my mind. I scooped some rice and eggs with a spoon – in Suika's dish – and give it to her. "Wanna give it a try?"

"Sure!" she nodded.

"Okay, open wide…" I said while I move the spoon to her mouth.

"Aaa…mmm…" she gobbled the rice. After tasting and swallowing it, she said "Delish! You got a talent here, boy!"

I sheepishly scratched my hair at her comment. "Ehehe, not really… Is it too spicy?"

 _Wait a minute…_ I thought, _Do we look like a father and daughter?_ I quickly shook the thought off. _Stupid brain…_

"Nu-uh,…" she shook her head, "…it's perfect!"

"*sigh* Thank God… Oh, by the-"

"But, you should keep your emotions in check, you know."

…eh?

"Sorry?"

"The taste is sad. The dish is also sad. That's 'cause you're sad."

I understand what she said, but somehow my brain doesn't. No, wait, it did. It's just trying to deny her, collaborating with my heart to utter some incoherent words. "W-What are you talking about? I-I-I'm not sad, I-"

"Don't try to deny it, boy." she said sternly. "And don't even think to say that I'm lying. Onis can't lie, after all."

The words stuck in my throat. My brain quickly search for another reasoning, another alibi, but to no avail. Every sentence, every word that I found, I felt that she could counter it. Then, I found myself at the mercy of her words.

"Look here. I don't know what happened in your past or your connections with the girl." she said while pointing her thumb to her back. "What I know is that it's a sad one. But, sometimes you just gotta let go."

I still listen to her voice without a word comes from my mouth. Trying to answer, the only thing that comes out from it was "W-Wha-?"

"Release it. Try to tell your problems sometime. They're not for you to carry alone, you know."

That was the moment that I snapped. The dam broke. Bam.

I fall to my knees, then I put my face on her chest.

Silently, I cried.

"Ugh…"

"There, there." she said while brushing my hair. "Just release it and you'll be fine."

"No… no… I don't wanna come back… *sniff* I wanna, I wanna stay here… I…"

"Yes, yes, I know. Take your time."

I continued to cry for at least three minutes. Then I tried to speak up.

"I-I-I'm sorry, Suika-san…"

"Hmm…? What for?"

"You said to let it go… to release it. But, but I-"

"That's okay, no need to rush." she continued to brush my hair. Then she hold up my face until our eyes are level. "Just tell me, or anyone you want, whenever you want it." Then, she smiled.

"It's your heart after all."

I found myself stunned at her words. It feels weird, though. The image of a childish, drunk loli-oni Suika that I found on the internet, manga, doujin, game, all of it vanished. Overwritten by a wise, mature, a little mother-like, though small individual that is standing in front of me.

Her child-like smile reveals the image of hundreds – maybe thousands – year of knowledge and experience. Her body, face, demeanor, way of speak, hides the fact that she's one of the elder – if not the oldest – youkai in here.

A father and his daughter? Heh, what a joke. More like a grandma and her grandchild.

A lot of movies and animes taught me that 'size don't always matter'. That sometimes, things are not what they seems. Touhou is also like that. The smallest, the cutest, might be a lot more than you could imagine. I mean, what chances are there for a loli to control fate, or maybe to destroy absolutely anything? I guess I forgot these facts because my mind is shrouded by darkness for a while there. After I wiped my tears, I tried to stand up, though still feels a little weak, then I looked down at her.

"Thank you… Suika-san…"

"No need, boy." she grinned.

"I promise that I'll tell you and the others everything. But, just not now. I'm… not ready yet."

"That's okay." Then, she chugs the alcohol from her gourd. "*glug* *glug* Puah… want some?"

"E-Eh? But, um, I don't drink."

"It's okay, just take a sip!" she offered, albeit a little forceful, her gourd to me. I felt bad for refusing her, so I gave up and took a sip.

"How is *hic* it?" she asked.

"Hmm… not bad, I think. Though, I can't figure out the taste actually." I confessed. But, what I didn't say is that it helps me to calm down a little. Is this the true power of sake?

"You'll get used to it in no time. By the way, is it done?"

Damn, I forgot all about the dinner.

"Ah, it is. Could you help me bringing it to them?"

"Sure!" she said, back to her old image as a loli-oni.

* * *

An hour later, we found ourselves – except the sleeping Mia – eating our dinner while sitting in the middle room. Starting from the left was Mokou, Eirin, Reisen, Reimu, Marisa, Suika, then me. Mia is in the middle, while we circled around her with Reimu on Mia's feet and I at her head. Eirin already finished patching Mia's injury with bandages and some medicine while I'm cooking earlier. She said that it will heal itself, but if in three days the injury gets worse, we should call her again.

Mia's body is full of bandages. Her arms are filled with scratches. Her left foot's injury is too deep, so she might be unable to move for a few days. Her head is also bandaged, so I untie her ponytail for now. Eirin said that it was due to a hit by a blunt object, probably she fell and hit a rock. Overall, she's a mess.

"Hmm… not bad for a beginner. You should meet Alice sometimes-ze." commented Marisa on my cooking.

"Thanks…" I answered a little sheepishly. "Is it too spicy?"

"Better than yesterday." admitted Reimu.

 _Wait a second… what did Suika meant by sad before?_

I looked at the oni, which gave me a smirk with a wink.

 _Damn, she got me good._

"Which reminds me…" continued Reimu, "…what about tomorrow's dish?"

"We still good for at least one or two days." I answered. "How about you, Reisen-san, Eirin-san?"

"A little too salty for me, actually. Too much salt could be bad for your body." answered the lunarian. Damn.

"I think it's good." said the lunar bunny. "By the way, how about you, Mokou…san?"

I looked to my left to see the immortal by the open door, sweating bullets while still chewing her food. Her face is red, like a ripe tomato.

"Um… are you okay, Mokou-san?" I asked.

"*gulp* Fuuh… Haah… This is the best meal I've got in years! Dammit man, you're a pro!"

I sweatdropped at her reaction. There's no mistaking it. Her dish is too spicy.

"Yanto…" growled Reimu. "Did you put something weird on her dish?"

"EEP!" I shuddered. "I'm not! I just put different amount of chili in her, my and Mia's dish is all!"

"How *hic* much in our's?" asked Suika

"About two or three."

"In her's?"

"…twenty…"

.

.

.

"WHAT?!" shouted them – except Mokou – in unison.

"Are you crazy or something-ze?!" asked Marisa in bewilderment.

"I-I thought she would like it! You know, her nickname and all?!" I hold my palm in front of me, facing the girls.

"You could get her killed!" shouted Reisen.

"No one ever get killed by some chili before!" I retorted.

Wait, am I right?

"And why're you okay?!" asked Reimu.

"'Cause I'm used to it!" I tried to reason my way out.

"Nevertheless, it is still a dangerous act you perform. Not all people have the same preferences as you." lectured the doctor.

I looked down in embarrassement. "Sorry…"

The doctor nodded. "At least you understand your mistake. Now Mokou, I have some ointment that could-"

"What're you guys talkin' about? This here is the best dish I've tasted in years! Well, not counting Keine's, but still!" she chug down her tea to reduce the pain. "You should make this more often, you know! Even better, could you give me the recipe?"

Guilty as I am, I still felt a little embarrassed at her words. "T-Thanks, I-"

"W-Where am I?"

* * *

Suddenly, Mia woke up. After she sits, she looks at all of us, one by one. Well, except the one behind her.

"Ah, you've woken up." I called for her. Then, after she looked at me, "Feeling better?"

"I'm not sure… who are you? Where am I?" she asked while scratching her head.

"My name is Hakurei Reimu, and you're in the Hakurei Shrine. Ah, scratch that. Right now, you're in the world called Gensoukyou.

"Gen… sou… kyou?" she raised an eyebrow. Then she put her hands on her chin. "So this place really do exist."

"Mia…"

Suddenly, Yanto called her cousin, albeit a little meekly, which responded by an almost 180 degrees rotation of her head and upper body.

"*sigh* Thank god you're okay. What happe-"

The next scene happened in less than three second. Mia jerked her left arms at the corner in my right, where Yanto rest her sword. She grips the scabbard with her left while holding the handle with another, ready to swing the blade.

Yanto reacted by trying to stand and backing up a little. But it's too late. By the time he reach his maximum height, the sword is already at his neck.

"HOLY SHI-"

"Yanto Bahar." Mia said sternly,

"You are going back with me, RIGHT NOW!"

* * *

 **FINALLY DONE! IT'S FINALLY DONE!**

 **I'm really sorry, once again, I'm really REALLY sorry for the delay. I did start at the middle of January, but I made a miscalculation. I thought I could write in my holiday. Turns out, it gets even busier with my families around.**

 **Once again, NormalMortal sincerely apologize for you who actually read and wait for this low-quality story of mine (if you exist).**

 **On another note, I wanted to change people's view of Suika. Lots of manga depict her as an ultra-drunkard, while forgetting the fact that she is a powerful oni, one of the Four Devas of The Mountain, which means one of the strongest. Heck, she maybe as wise as Yukari for all we know. I hope you like my depiction of her.**

 **I said on earlier chapter that the story will get weird. Well, it'll probably started at next, or maybe two or three chapter later, depending on the story. I don't really want to rush the story. I wanted to try to deepen their interactions with each other. Trying to understand each and everything that they think and feel.**

 **Oh, by the way, what do you think about Marisa's POV? It's hard for me to choose how much she'll say –ze, in my opinion. Also, do you think I should change her way of talk by changing you to ya? And what about Suika's?**

 **I still trying to figure out how a danmaku fight would look like in real life. Sword fight might be a little easier to depict, but a usual danmaku fight happens in 2D, while I have to change it into 3D. So expect a bad quality from me till I figure it out.**

 **If you have any comments or even advice, please review. I appreciate it, like, a lot, you know.**

 **I can't promise when the next update is because campus starts next week. So please, calm you t*ts, my good reader.**

 **Until next time, then :v**

 **Oh, and by the way, epilogue might start again next chapter.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer : Touhou and all its characters are belonged by ZUN. I only own my OCs and this story. Any similarities on any parts of the story with another fanfic are unintended.**

 **Chapter** **6 : Explanation X Revelation**

* * *

 _Summary of the last chapter…_

 _Yanto's younger cousin, Mia, gets stranded in Gensoukyou too and determined to take him back with her. What will happen with our little protagonist? How will he prevail? What the heck is in Yukari's mind to put his cousin there too? Why am I asking these questions? It will (hopefully) answered in this chapter. So grab you popcorn, get your car keys, and try to get some life instead of reading this piece-of-sh*t stories._

… _no, seriously though. I hope you enjoy this one. Now on with the show!_

* * *

"U-Um… could we… talk about this for a little bit?"

To be honest, I'm not the one who fond of laborious activity. I'd rather take a nap, drinking tea with some crackers, or even swiping the shrine's ground instead of flying away, playing danmakus and solving incidents on hot summer days.

"Not a chance. You are already missing for three days and I will take you back with me right now. Or else…"

"*gulp* Or else…"

The same thing could be said to my mental condition. I prefer a calmer environment, without a lot of voice and movement. Especially when I'm enjoying my dinner.

"…b-but we're s-stranded, right? That means t-there's no way out… r-right?"

"I'll find a way somehow… and may I ask why did you pointed that arrow on my neck, miss…"

"Eirin. Yagokoro Eirin. I am a doctor, and also the one who cured your injuries. As you can see on your left calf is a wound from a possible youkai attack. Now, if you don't want to be paralyzed for the rest of your life – or worse, amputated – I suggest that you sit down and relax."

To tell you the truth, almost all the time, 7 days a week, I've been constantly disrupted by people in my free time. Whether it's a certain kleptomaniac, a childish vampire, or a mischievous gap hag, never I'd found a single day when I could rest my body and mind.

"Hmph, while I do grateful for your help, I'm afraid I cannot repay you for the moment. I need to take this idiot-of-a-cousin back to where he belong… and now, a gun?"

"I'm just protecting Master from your katana. Now, if you don't lower your weapon down, I'm afraid I'll have to use my power on you. That includes you too, Marisa."

Day after days, week after weeks, I still could hold up with their presence.

"Aw shucks. Just when it's getting' to the good part-ze."

"*sigh* Seriously…"

"Huh, wazzat?"

But… I've had enough.

"An arrow, a toy gun, and a weird-looking wooden box. Seriously? Did you people really think you could hold me up with that kind of… everyday objects?"

"Um… you might wanna be careful there, Mia…"

"You have no saying in this, idiot."

"EEK!"

Because… nobody…

"Ohoho, now you talkin', girl-ze. Let's see who's better. Your sword, or my mini-hakkero here."

…mess… with…

"Very well, I accept your offer. Now…"

"Wait girls, stop! Don't-"

"MY DINNER!"

* * *

Just before everything goes haywire, Reimu stood up and yelled from the bottom of her lung. Judging from her face, I'm guessing that she is extremely mad.

Oh, who am I kidding? She IS mad!

The miko eyed all of us one by one with fierce on her eyes. "I've had ENOUGH of this mess! Now, I give you THREE SECONDS to sit down, or I'll use force if I have to!"

I simply gulped at her reaction. The aura her body gave was simply no joke. Even Mia flinched a little. We slowly backed up then sit back to our respective place. Finally, Mia complied Reimu's order. "*sigh* Fine." she said while sheathing her katana, then took a seat between me and Mokou. "Is here okay?" she asked.

Reimu nodded. "Now, I think an introduction is in order." she said, sternly. Then, each one of us – including me – starting to introduce ourself. The last one to speak is Mia.

"My name is Hanamia Bahar, 20 years old, a college student and Yanto's cousin. You can simply call me Mia, like everyone used to. I am here to take this _person_ …" mind if I tell you that she said 'person' in a mocking tone, "…back to where he belong. Any-"

"Question-ze!" interrupted Marisa while raising her right hand. "Earlier you said something like 'this place do exist' or something. What do you mean-ze?"

Oh man, not that question. "Um, Marisa-san, that's-"

"That reminds me…" interrupted Mokou, "…somehow you don't look like any outsider I've met. You know, lack of reactions and all?"

Damn, gotta stop this charade before it gets worse! "M-Mokou san, about tha-"

"Yeah *hic*…" interrupted Suika, "…you're not surprised when I said I'm an oni. Not that you're the _first one_ , you know." she glanced at me while she smirked

Dammit! Last chance! "A-Actually Suika-san, that's-"

"To tell you the truth, Suika-san, I alrea- HMMPMMP!"

Phew, stopped her just in time. "I-It's okay, it's okay everyone. I'll explain it in a bit."

* * *

Yanto, while holding his cousin's mouth, glanced at me with a face that said:

' _What should I do?!'_

That's when I realized that Mia knows what Yanto knew. Well, if he ask me like that, also considering the situation, my answer is of course…

* * *

' _Whatever you want. It's up to you.'_

That's it? She just shrugged and told me to do whatever? Wow, that's kinda… irresponsible, don't you think? Considering she's the one who told me to keep it a secret and all. Well, whatever. She's the one who gave the permission, not me. Nu-uh, no way am I gonna take the blame. No can't do.

Finally, Mia managed to get rid of my hand from her mouth. "PAH! What was that for?!"

"Shh!" I silenced her, then whispered. "Don't tell anything to them now. It's hard enough to explain how we knows them, let alone explaining about the game. Just relax, and let me do the talking, okay?"

She closed her eyes while crossing her arms on her chest. "*sigh* Whatever."

After that, I explained to them just like what I've told Reimu before, plus the fact that Mia already knew too. Their reaction? Mostly unsatisfied, of course.

"You 'just know'? That's it? No better explanation-ze?" asked Marisa while raising an eyebrow.

"I'm sorry, Marisa-san. I can't tell you guys- I mean girls, about the details yet. For now, that's what I can tell you." I answered, much to Marisa's dissatisfaction.

"So, you are saying that you already know about us before you came her. Do anyone else know too?" asked Eirin.

Hmm… knowing Eirin, she might be a little strict in Kaguya and the rest of the moon's safety. So, to assure her, just in case… "Nope. Just us, at least as far as I know."

"Are you really sure?" asked Reisen.

"Yep." I simply answered. "But, can I ask you gu- I mean girls, to keep it a secret for now? I don't wanna bring any unwanted attention, especially from a certain tengu."

"Well, at least you're being honest." said Suika. Then she slapped her left chest with her right palm while winked her left eye. "You can count on me! It's an oni's *hic* promise!"

I sighed in relieve. "Thanks, Suika-san."

"Yeah. After all, what can I gain from blackmailing a random outsiders? Just give me the recipe, and we have a deal." grinned Mokou.

I sweatdropped. "E-Eh? Well, it's not a problem, really…"

"It would be fine with me. A doctor have to keep her patient's secret, after all." said Eirin.

"That includes the assistant too." smiled Reisen.

"Thanks, you two…" that leaves only one last person. "…Marisa-san?"

She still closed her eyes while crossing her arms. Her face is still unsatisfied. A while later, she opened it. "Fine. Only if you tell me first, then we have a deal-ze."

I nodded. "You can count on that."

"That said, Yanto,…" said Mia, getting everyone's attention. "…I still need more explanations from you, so I will have a word with you tomorrow. For now, I wanted to enjoy my dinner." Then, she grabbed her plate, took a spoonful of rice and ate it. "Yanto?" she called while eyeing her dish intensely.

"Yes?"

"You said you made this, right?" she asked, glancing at me, which I simply nodded.

"Is it good?" I asked.

She answered before continuing her dish, "Not spicy enough."

A moment of silence followed before nearly everyone burst out of bewilderment. "WHAT?!"

"'Not spicy enough'? You said 'not spicy enough'-ze?!" asked Marisa, shocked.

"Are you crazy or something?!" bewildered Reimu.

"Yeah, I know. Japanese chili's not that spicy, after all. Should've add ten more." I said to Mia.

"Not you too!?" shouted Reimu, getting worked up.

* * *

It's '9.20'. After a little chat after the dinner, Eirin, Reisen and Mokou dismissed themselves, saying that it's already too late. Marisa is also leaving, saying that she'll be staying at Alice's home tonight. Suika, well, is having another party with her bunch underground, again. That leaves me with Mia and Reimu in the shrine.

Reimu – surprisingly – letting Mia stay in the shrine for free. When I jokingly ask her if she wanted something in return, she smirked and said _"Would you?"_ , which I quickly shook my head.

Mia already dismissed herself earlier just after dinner. She said that she still feeling a little tired. No doubt, her injury is taking a toll on her body. Reimu already put a futon in her room for Mia to sleep, and she's already going to bed too. That leaves me alone in the middle room.

"*yawn* Can't sleep…"

The moon shines beautiful in Gensoukyou tonight, just as usual. I found myself gazing at it while sitting on a porch, leaning my back at one of the shrine's pillar. Thoughts keep running through my head, preventing me from taking my rest. Cicadas keep singing through the night, as if telling people to wake up from their slumber. Yet, here I am, not even a slight touch to the dream world.

Tomorrow evening I'll have to teach Flandre as requested by Keine. She already gave me a letter, so I'll just need to show it to prove my credibility. It turns out that Keine didn't give any clarification to Sakuya – if she is the one Keine called 'Flandre's caretaker – about me being her substitute, so I'll need to explain it somehow tomorrow.

Which reminds me. Tomorrow, Mia's gonna have a talk with me. Knowing her, she must be trying to get me home again. The only question is why? She's already happy enough with John and her family, so why she's so head over heels in taking me back?

A sudden realization came to my mind. Don't tell me… John asked her to?

"I wouldn't make such a quick conclusions if I were you, _muridku_ ~."

I glanced to my right to find the most likely perpetrator, sitting cross-legged on the inner side of the porch while fluttering her fan slowly. Her purple eyes reflected the moon she's gazing into.

I frowned slightly at her. "Since when did you start to speak my language?"

"Since now." she smiled her devious smile while glancing at me naughtily. "You must be having a lot on your mind, don't you?"

If I had a mirror now, I must be realizing how my frown's getting darker by the moment. Calm down, me… "What do you want?"

"Oh, such hostility~." she said with a 'surprised' face. "But don't worry. I'm only here to continue your lesson."

I raised an eyebrow. "Right now?"

"Right now." she answered. "But not here. I'll take you to a pocket dimension where we can train freely without any interruption."

I looked back at the moon, considering her offer before answering. "*sigh* Sorry. Not really in the mood right now."

"Because of your cousin?" she asked.

"Because of _you_ , actually." I anwered while narrowing my gaze at her. "Just why did you bring Mia here anyway?"

As usual, she hid her lower face with her fan and showed her devious eye. "If I answer your question, would you train now?"

I smirked a little. "*chuckle* What's the rush?"

"Answer me. Yes, or no?" she asked again, now with more strict tone.

I sighed. Normally I would laugh a little more, but right now I kinda don't feel like it. "Make it 'questions', then we have a deal."

I don't know what's the expression behind that fan. Is it getting more frown, or is it a smirk? She only answered "Deal." with a normal tone before she stood up, opening a human-sized gap then step inside.

I looked at the open gap in front of me. ' _Why did she really wanted me to learn about gap?'_ Then I averted my gaze to the shrine's inside. _'Well, whatever. Can't sleep anyway'_. Then I closed the door and get to the gap.

* * *

"Now, are you ready for your second lesson?"

The so-called 'pocket dimension' looks more like a test room for super-powered psychopaths. It's a 20x20x20 meter cubic room made entirely of 2x2 white tiles. On one side of the room is a purple chair with ornate design, facing a dark-grey sofa. In the middle of it, is a coffee table complete with cups, a teapot and a sugar bowl. Yukari sits on the chair while I'm on the sofa. Makes me wonder where did she gotten all of these.

Looking closer, she's now in her casual outfit, consist of a deep purple dress, white elbow-length gloves with usual mob cap, fan and parasol – which is leaned to one side of the chair. Me? Still in my usual grey, but without the hoodie.

"You promised me to answer my questions. So I'm not gonna move an inch till I hear it." I answered, folding my arms on my chest.

Seems like she doesn't like where this is going. "*sigh* Fine. Tell me what do you want to know."

"First,…" I raised my index finger, "…why did you sent Mia here?"

"Oh, _that_." she showed her 'realized' face. "Did you really think your friend asked her to get you back? How un-gentleman did you think he is?"

"That doesn't answer my question. In the end, you're the one who bring her here, so I'm asking you why." I said in a serious tone.

"Such hastiness~. Is this where the young generation is going to?" she asked to no-one in particular.

Wait, did she just admit that she's the older gen?

"For your information,…" she continued, "…she _is_ the one who asked me to send her here. In fact, when I first met her, she was very head-over-heels in getting you back, she almost send her boyfriend to unconsciousness."

I raised an eyebrow. I tried to make a scenario based on what Yukari told me, but only managed to find one most possible possibility. "What? You mean like, 'Tell me where Yanto is or I'll beat you to a pulp' sort of thing? *chuckle* Yeah right. As if she got the guts to even scratch him."

She didn't reply. Instead, she just calmly took a sip of her tea as if nothing happened. There's nothing weird on her facial expressions either. Just the usual calm.

Wait…

"Don't tell me… that's exactly what happened?" I said, surprised.

She put her cup on the table casually, then took a piece of fabric to wipe her mouth. Then, outta nowhere, she showed me her smirk. "For once, you showed me that judging the situations too quickly could lead to misconception. You've failed my expectations, and I wish not to see it again in the future."

I don't know what to say when she scold me – if that could be said as scolding. I just sit there, with mouth slightly agape. Then, she pushed her right hand – which is holding a fan – to a small gap in front of her, which is connected to another small gap right in front of me. Her fan keep pushing forward until it touched my middle chest.

"Understanding emotions could help us to a deeper understanding of ourselves and the world around us. Overtaken by emotions, however, sometimes blinded us from what is wrong or right, unconsciously lead us to our true being. A being lack a certain portion of intelligence. A _beast_."

Again, she continued her verbal-mental assault on me. The gap youkai pulled back her fan to cover her lower face and closed her gaps. "Sometimes, in order to achieve our goal, you have to put aside your emotions. No, I'm not telling you to simply become a mindless puppet either. What I'm telling you is to always keep you emotions in check." She averted her gaze to the tea. "Try take a sip to calm yourself down."

I obliged her offer. I don't know, but it feels like a deja-vu back there. It just like how Suika made me cry, but feels longer and deeper. I'm not sure if she's scolding me anymore. Both feels like how a mother should calm her crying child, but with more roundabout way.

I suddenly realized that I'm in front of one of the smartest being in Gensoukyou. The one who helps in built it, and helps in protecting it. The so-called youkai sage, Yakumo Yukari. So of course she's wiser and smarter than me in most possible ways I could think of. That fact always escapes me every time I tries to think about it. Unconsciously, I whispered "Thanks…"

She showed me – if not – one of her most sincere smile that almost make me skip a beat. "You're welcome~. Now, I believe you still have more questions, correct? Or we could just go straight ahead to training, which is better for me."

I thought about it for a while, then come to a realization. Did she really answered my first question or not? I decided to put the matters to the side for now. Because Mia's the one who wanted to come here, I guess I could ask her later. "Okay. Second question. It's been on my mind lately, actually. How can Gensoukyou exist if it's only a game? No, I'm not asking about the Multiverse theory. It's more like 'how can it happened'?"

Her smile turns to usual. "I believe that it could also be answered together with your third question, which I believe you have."

I was taken aback by her statement. "H-How did you-"

"I know a lot." she cut short my question. "Now, your third?"

I was still slightly surprised, so I stuttered a little. "O-Okay. Then, what is my purpose here? Why did you sent me to Gensoukyou? Knowing you, it's hardly just for fun, as far as I could tell."

She closed her eyes and nodded understandingly. Then, she quickly closed her fan and store it back to her gap. "First, I would like to ask you a question: do you understand the concept of idea? Where does it come from?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Wait, where did this co-"

"Just answer me."

Her tone is full of finalization, so I decided to not ask about it. Pondering a while, I answered "An idea, as far as I know, is a product of thought process. It comes from past memory that mixes together to form a new information."

"That's it? So you said that ideas and dreams are the same thing?" she asked.

"Not entirely." I shook my head slightly. "A dream usually couldn't be controlled, while ideas could be made after a long thought process." I clarified.

She nodded understandingly. "Then, where does the stimulus that raise a certain past information to be mixed in a thought process?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Stimulus?"

"Ideas doesn't come just like that, you know. It has to be triggered by a certain stimulus that stimulates our brain to remember the past. But how about an idea that comes from nowhere?" she asked again.

I tried to answer. "That-"

"-comes from another place of course." she cut my word. "You see, every actions and reactions, every events, every step that happened in this world emits a certain wave. Wave that is so mysterious, even a certain moon rabbit couldn't comprehend it. Wave that could only be captured by a selected individual's brain. These waves doesn't have masses, thus keep travelling throughout the universe, even multiverse. When it do reach that special individual, it stimulates the brain, thus creating new ideas. Just like that flat-capped guy you know about. Sometimes I like to call them 'Idea Waves'."

Okay, this is a lot to take on. Try to imagine your face when you finally opens your math book after so long then you goes like 'What the heck is this?' 'What the heck is that?'. Yep, that's my face right now. After a couple of seconds in thought, I came in realization. "Wait, wait, wait. You said that every events emits 'that' wave. Don't tell me that-"

"That's right." she cut me again, now with her usual smile. "Every incidents that happened in Gensoukyou also emits these waves. Though, I'm a little surprised by this ZUN person's ability."

I raised an eyebrow. "Surprised?"

"Human brain is like a radio receiver." she continued. "There's a limit on how much a brain could catch, including the accuracy. Could you guess how much accuracy he has?"

I shrugged. "I dunno. But judging from your way of speaking, I'm guessing it's high. Maybe… near 100%?"

"96.9%, in fact. That was one of the highest I've ever discovered. Pretty remarkable, if I should say."

Wow, that's high. Wait a minute, I just realized something. Touhou was known to have numerous plot holes. These holes makes it easy for people to 'fill', either by fanfic, doujin and so on. What if all the plot holes in Touhou exist because ZUN tries to avoid making any miss-accuracy of some short?

"…and what if…"

"Hmm…?"

"Wait, don't tell me…"

"Did you realized something?" she asked.

"Yukari, if what you said was true, then is it possible that somewhere in another universe, someone is writing our conversations to be uploaded in his/her FanFiction account as one low-quality story?" I asked back.

She tapped her chin in thought. "Hmm… there is a possibility." she nodded.

Wow, that guy's story must be suck. Suck to be that guy.

"Moving on." she continued. "ZUN's success in receiving these waves also happened because of the distance factor. The closer a radio to the transmitter, the clearer the sound, right? The reason ZUN could be so accurate is because Gensoukyou is located in his world. Your world."

"Wait,…" I holded up my hand. "…you said that Gensoukyou located in _another_ universe, right? What gives?" I asked, confused.

"Ah, right, I did say that a couple days ago." Again, she showed me her 'surprised' face. "What I meant by that, is Gensoukyou currently not in your universe, thus in _another_ universe."

I sighed, exasperated. "Could we skip this roundabout ways of explaining and just cut to the case? I kinda don't wanna think too much tonight."

"*sigh* You seems to not understand." she said. "Then let me show you the proof."

She stood up and opened another portal. "Follow me." she said after she got in.

* * *

We're now standing in an open field in the middle of the forest. I don't know where exactly, but judging from the surrounding, I guess we're back in Gensoukyou. The sky's still dark, but the moon shines brightly, it's as if the ground illuminated by a massive LED lamp.

"Yanto Bahar." said Yukari, facing me. "Are you ready to see one of Gensoukyou's biggest secret?"

"*sigh* Yukari, you know what? After so much that you've said to me, I doubt anything you'll show me now will get me surprised again." I answered.

She smirked. "If you say so. I've warned you, though."

Then, as if looking for something, she glanced left, right, up and down to nowhere. "Now where is it?" she muttered while tapping her chin with her fan. "Is it here? No… a little to the left. Too far, I should go back a little." She then noticed (?) something as she rotated to her left and glanced down. "Ah, there it is~."

She walked further, a couple meters from me. Then, near the root of a tree, she squatted and opened a small gap, enough to peek on. She glanced to me. "Come, take a look."

I walked closer to her. When I looked at her gap, I noticed something different. There isn't any eyes in her gap. Only pitch black nothingness, with dozens or more white dots. Much like my gap, but it's darker.

"I'm not sure what I'm seeing." I concluded.

"Try to look for a big dot." she suggested. "And try not to fall off the gap."

"Ah, right." I said before holding to the side of her gap, which is surprisingly easy to grab. I looked again, much more focused now, until I realized that there's nothing here.

"Still nothing." I said.

"What? Let me see." she pushed me away a little, then looked at her gap. "Oh…" she put a hand on her mouth with a surprised – _real_ surprised – expression. Then, after she closed her gap, she looked away. "Sorry, it's a little miscalculation. Don't ask about it." I noticed something on her face.

Wait, did she just blushed?

After she looked a little more in another location, she opened another gap and confirmed that it was right. "Try to look again. This time, look for a big sphere."

I looked even more focused than last time. This time it's a little different. Instead of small dots, what I saw is a giant black sphere with faint white glow. No, giant would be an understatement. It is _massive_. It covers almost 80% of what I could see in the gap. Inside it is full of dozens, maybe thousands of white dots and colorful disc-like thing that looks made of fogs or something. The shape reminds me of a galaxy, if it is one. Outside of the sphere is white dots which is less in number than the inside.

"What's that?" I asked.

"That small dots outside the sphere is another universe, while that…" she pointed to the sphere,"…is our world. What I just opened right now is a gap between Gensoukyou and the worlds outside it. As you can see, we're not on our universe anymore."

"Oh, okay, I get it." I nodded. I was silent for a moment before I looked at her, extremely confused. "WHAT THE SH*T?!"

"Language, Yanto." she said nonchalantly. "Let's go back to the pocket dimension."

* * *

After we seated, Yukari starts explaining.

"A couple years ago…" she started, "…a certain incident causes Gensoukyou to run away from its path, separating it further from our universe. Now, try to imagine if you found an intersection on the road. If you choose the left path, you would be bitten by a dog. If you choose the right one, you would be on a collision course with a truck. But if you go back, a serial killer will stab you in your chest."

"Wait, wait. If that's the case, I'd rather not to choose any." I hold up my hand, sweatdropped.

"It's only an analogy. The point is, every actions you take could change your future, and you simply cannot rewind the time. The same happened to Gensoukyou right now. Instead of going left, it goes to the other way."

"I guess I kinda get the idea." I nodded slightly. "But what about that outsiders that keeps coming here, like the Moriya Shrine, for example. Or even Usami Sumireko? If Gensoukyou isn't on earth anymore, then how-"

"Did you forget? I was the one who maintain the barrier, which means I'm also the one who controlled anyone who come and go." she cut through my word.

"So, you're saying that no one actually opened the barrier on his/her own volition? So when someone tries to come here, you just like, transported them here?" I asked in confusion.

"Sort of. And, as you're one of the game's enthusiast, you do remember the Occult Ball incident, don't you? When the portal to the outside world opened, why is it that it opened right above a city, rather than a mountain?"

Wait, I think I've heard of this before. A page in the wiki said that Gensoukyou is located in a mountain range in Japan. I guess that one is true.

"For years…" she continued, "…I've been trying to bring Gensoukyou to its right place while keep maintaining the barrier. That one time is one of my closest effort towards success. Yet, it seems luck is not on my side this time."

She sighed while closing her eyes. "As of now, I still could maintain the barrier to an extent. But, as time goes by, the distance between Gensoukyou and our universe keeps expanding. You might think I am one night-omnipotent, invincible, all-you-can-do being, but no. There is nothing perfect in this world. Every single thing has its flaws, including me. Then, you came on my sight."

She opened her eyelids. A serious, extremely serious gaze towards me could be seen from her golden eyes. "Yanto Bahar, you are the most suited one for this task." she pointed her fan to my face. "While I close the distance between Gensoukyou and our universe, I wanted you to maintain the Border between Gensoukyou and the Outside."

Wait.

Wait.

F*ck.

My brain can't take it.

"Hold on, hold on! It's not that I don't get it, it's just, ugh… dammit, too much info…" I massaged the bridge of my nose. "Okay, okay, but what about Reimu in this case, or Ran? Surely they know how to maintain the barrier, right?!"

"If Reimu forced to maintain the barrier at that time, the existence of the last of the Hakurei Clan could be threatened. She's also already busy with solving incidents. As such, I want you to help Reimu as a first-line force. But for now, don't tell her anything. As for Ran, she already busy in maintaining holes that keeps appearing on the barrier. Just like I told you before, you are the most suited for this task." she concluded.

I gulped. I wasn't expecting this. First I arrived in my dream world. Next I have to be its protector?! Oh man…

My brain really can't take it.

"Why…"

"Hmm?"

"Why me, Yukari? What do I have than most people so you could just shove this responsibility to me?" I asked weakly, eyes looked down while both hands holding my head.

"Ah ah ah~…" she waved her index finger in front of me. "I didn't say I would answer _all_ your questions, right~?"

"Please…" I pleaded weaker, "…I just- I just wanted to know…"

I was extremely shocked when she revealed all of this. Sure, bringing me to Gensoukyou would have a catch, but never once did I thought I'll be needed for this. But what really taken me back is the fact that Gensoukyou is at stake. The world that I've ever dream of, is in a path of getting destroyed. There's no way I'm going to just stand still and watch it happen.

"All right, I'll explain it." she nodded. "While it's true that everyone can learn about boundaries, there's a limit of how fast someone could learn. You are chosen because you're the fastest and have the most potential, proven by how you could open a gap in a single night."

"How did you know I'm the- wait, don't tell me…" I realized.

"That's right~. You're not the first one I tried to teach. You're lucky I haven't erased your memory by now." she said. "Plus, the fact that you care much about Gensoukyou gave you a plus mark. Makes me believed that you're the one most suited for this task."

Hearing this makes me a little relieved. Mostly because I didn't lose my memory. Also, I'm the one she trust. Deep inside, I became a little determined to save my dream world.

But still, I have my doubts.

"How long do I have?" I asked, worryingly.

"Just enough for you and Reimu to train." she enters her serious mode again. "In the meantime, I'll tell Reimu to train a little more. Though, considering your mental condition after receiving such information, I believe it would be more appropriate to let you rest for the day."

She conjured a gap on my left. "This pocket dimension's time moves differently from the outside. You should arrive at the same time as when you last leave it."

I nodded in agreement. Just before I stepped into the gap, I stopped my track.

"Yukari,…" I said, "…do you think, we could succeed?"

She gives a pause before she answered. "I'm sure. Go now, take a rest for the night. Ah, before I forgot, let me remind you about one thing: don't be too surprised in the morning~." she said with a smile.

I didn't answer her statement, nor thinking what the heck does she meant. Keeping up with her mind could really take a toll on my head. Instead, I just step into the gap without glancing back.

"Whatever. Thanks for the info, by the way."

"You're welcome~."

* * *

The rest of the night is quiet like usual. I decided to sleep so I could rest my mind. Once I thought about playing, but drowsiness finally came unto me. Plus with so much info I get before, I doubt I could play peacefully.

In the morning, me, Mia and Reimu eat breakfast together. Marisa came a little late so she could only get some leftovers, much to her dissapointment. Reimu sat with her back facing the back door with me on her left, Mia on her front and Marisa on her right.

"Yanto…" called Mia after all of us finished our dish, "…after this, could we have a talk?"

I sighed. I expected this pattern. I decided to end this once and for all so she wouldn't pester me later. "Okay, what do you want to talk about?"

"Personal." she said while glancing slightly at both Marisa and Reimu. Suddenly, Reimu took our dish, put it on top of hers, and stood up.

"It's okay, just talk here as long as you like. Marisa, help me with the dish." she said.

Marisa looks kinda confused by her act, but just shrugged and followed. "Okay-ze."

* * *

I couldn't just stay away without knowing what's going on. No, my curiosity wouldn't let me. Quickly, as soon as we leave the room, I shoved my dish on top of her's and the others.

"Hold this for a sec'-ze."

"Wait, Marisa?!" she shouted in whisper.

With a swift but silent movement, I rushed to one of the opened door's frame and listened.

"So, what is it?"

Phew, just in time. That voice must be Yanto's.

"Marisa, just what-"

"Shh! Just calm down for a sec'-ze." I whispered to Reimu with my index finger on my lips.

"Yanto, I now understand everything."

…and that must be Mia's.

"Understand, what exactly?"

"Why you come here, and why you don't want to come back."

"*chuckle* Well, can't say that I'm surprised, actually. I kinda expected this to happen. Then, what's your best guess?"

They silent for a second before Mia continued.

"You're… looking for your sister, right?"

.

.

.

…what?

"What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean. I remembered the last time you're so head-over-heels finding her that you end up run away from house for 3 years."

"*sigh* You know that's not the reason. I admit that once I believe that she's out there, but that's years ago. *sigh* Dammit Yukari…"

…Yukari? What she's doing with all this?

"What was that?"

"Nothing. Anyway, we don't even have any proof that she's even exist. We never had back then, we still don't have it now."

"Make that "not enough proof". What about aunt's diary?"

"*chuckle* Nice to see you remember that part. Do you still remember the time when they called my mom's a lunatic?"

"…I'm sorry about that. I should've stopped them with whatever they're saying."

"*sigh* Don't be. You're still too young to understand anything they said."

"…Anyway, a couple days ago in my ceiling, I found a safe full of our family's old documents. One of them is a brown envelope filled with uncle's important papers and other things."

"Dad's? I thought all of them is in my house."

"Fortunately, I've found some of them still laying there. Guess what I've found in the envelope except uncle's thing? A single, empty birth certificate."

A birth certificate?

"So let me guess. An empty birth certificate makes you believe that I actually have a sister? That she's somehow still alive somewhere? Mia, I don't even know about this since three second ago."

A sound of tea been drunk is heard.

"Also, there's no proof that the certificate is actually my sister's. It could be from our ancestors for all we know."

"It could be, it could be not. I just wanted to inform you that there's still hope, and where's the best place to found anything forgotten by the world that the Land of Fantasy?"

A moment of silent followed. Then, I felt someone pulling my ear.

"Ouch!"

"Silent. Now let's go before they suspect us."

* * *

"So…"

"Hmm?"

"What do you think that's all about?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. It's not nice to eavesdropping anyone, worse if it's about their family matter."

"But it's weird, right-ze? Yanto's never said anything about having a sister before."

"He didn't say anything about having a cousin either and no one bats an eye." I said, annoyed. "*sigh* Look. Even with the evidence Mia had, there's no proof that she's exist or even lives in Gensoukyou." I glanced at her hands. "If you're done with that plate, then let me rinse it."

"Ah, sorry, just wait a sec', it's not clean enough." she said while brushing the dish.

A moment passed while we intently do our duty before Marisa spoke up. "Hey… If Yanto's sister really lives in here, do you have any theory who could she be-ze?"

"I don't know. Could be some random villagers." I answered.

"But what about if she's one of the girls we know?"

I raised an eyebrow. "And who could that be?"

"I dunno." she put her hand on chin. "Could it be-"

"Focus on your dish."

"Ah, sorry." she said, a little flustered. "What about Sanae?"

"Sanae? So you said that Yanto's also Suwako's descendant?"

"Wait, she's Suwako's descendant?"

I nodded. "Yep, she told me once before, not that I care."

"Wow, talk about anticlimactic-ze. Never know some human could have a hot on a loli goddess."

Another silent followed before Marisa continued. "Our best guess is that she's actually a human. That could reduce our scope a little-ze."

"Not just a little, actually. Most of the girls we know is youkais, goddesses, and other non-human species. The only human girls we know are Akyuu, Kosuzu, and the other fellow incident resolver. And most of them also have their inhuman side one way or the other." I voiced my opinion. "Like half-human half-phantom, living goddess, reincarnation…"

"And don't forget the maybe-human-ze!" she added.

"'Maybe-Human'. You mean Sakuya?"

"Yep. How's the chance of she's being Yanto's sister?"

I looked at Marisa before both of us broke into a chuckling fit.

""Yeah, like that's possible (ze)."" we said together.

* * *

 **And that's that!**

 **Phew, finally got the time to finish it. I'm actually afraid I won't be able to make it, considering the ridiculous amount of homework and task I've got from college. Thankfully, I've made it just in time.**

 **So, what do you guys think about this chapter? I'm actually a little uncertain about the explaining part. Couldn't help but feel that it's too weird and roundabout. And as you might guess, that part is the one I've mentioned some chapters ago about being weird. If you didn't like some part just let me know.**

 **The part where Yanto actually had a sister is actually already on my mind even before I started writing this fanfic. I just can't find the best time to explain it in the previous chapter. I actually wanted to write it on the next chapter, but what the heck. Could you guess who she is? Again, it's kinda obvious, isn't it?**

 **Oh yeah, if you guys can't wait for Flandre, good news is I decided for her appearance to be in the next chapter. But, her interaction with Yanto might have to wait in chapter after the next, depending on how the next will turn out. Hopefully I'll be able to write more than before.**

 **Next chapter mostly about Yanto searching his weapon in Kourindo. Regarding the type of weapon, I already got the idea. Regardless, if you have some cool ideas, just let me know. Danmaku battle would have to wait in the latter chapter. Again, can't find the place to put it.**

 **So, please review and comment, my good reader, if you exist, that is.**

 **Until next time, then :v**

 **Btw, sorry for no epilogue again.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer : Touhou and all its characters are belonged by ZUN. I only own my OCs and this story. Any similarities on any parts of the story with another fanfic are unintended.**

 **Chapter** **7 : Sabit and Surya**

* * *

"Mistress, I will be taking my leave shortly."

…eh?

"Our times together were short, but I could assure you that it is the best moment of my life."

Wait, what are you talking about?

"I wish I could be together with you more, but I am afraid that my time is running out."

You're making me afraid… this is a joke… right? Tell me this is only a joke!

"However, before I take my leave, I would humbly request that, if it is acceptable, for me to call you by your name."

My… name? What are you talking about?! Answer me!

"I wish that I could see you, not only as my Mistress, but also as a friend, a companion, and the first whom I could call a 'family'."

Stop it! You're my servant, and that won't change for as long as I live! Stop your rambling!

 ***DONG* *DONG* *DONG***

…the bell?

"Ah, it seems that my time is up. Thank you for taking your time to have a last chat before I leave. Farewell… Remilia…"

Stop! Come back here! Don't leave me alone!

…why…

Why don't you hear me?!

COME BACK HERE! SAKUYAAA…!

* * *

"-AAAAAAAH!"

I opened my eyes and recognized that I'm in my own room. To be more precise, on my bed. I could feel that my heart's beating like a drum set. My eyes are open like a sunny-side up. Also, my body is sweating bullets, making my pajama sticks to my body.

…pajama? Don't tell me… it's all a dream?

"Mistress?"

I looked at my left and noticed that it is her, the girl from earlier.

"I heard your scream from the outside. Is everything alright?" she said with a hint of worry, unlike in the dream.

"*sigh* It's nothing. I just had a bad dream, is all."

"Bad dream? Are you really sure that-"

"I'm fine, I'm fine." I cut her words before she could think about anything else. I gave her a small smile, just to make sure. "In fact, after I woke up, I realized that it was nothing but a joke."

A joke. Yeah, it's just a joke. A lame joke played by my subconscious. After I woke up and saw that she's still the same as always, I realized that it was all just a joke.

I think I need to consult to the Satori later.

I looked up at her again, a tint of worry, mixed with confusion is still attached on her face. But, she stopped her question. "By the way, prepare the bath. I want to clean this sweat with cold water."

"At this time?"

I raised an eyebrow. "What time is it?"

"It's 1.32…"

"It is? How long has I slept any-"

"…in the night."

…what?

"You're joking, right?"

I swiftly went down my bed and strolled to the only window in the room. I moved the curtain to the side and revealed the darkness, complete with the moonlight. Then, I did the most obvious thing one would do, considering the situation. I glanced back at her, "Sakuya, how long has I slept today?"

She looked at the watch on her hand. "It's… approximately 5 hours. Yesterday you went back to your room around 9.15, and you haven't come out ever since."

5 hours, huh… no wonder I still sleepy. "Are you sure you wanted to take a bath now?" she asked again.

I smirked. "Heh, I've been a nocturnal being even before you're born, you know?"

She smiled with a sigh. "If you say so, then…" in a blink of an eye – note that I didn't actually 'blink' – she's gone, leaving me here alone in the room.

Alone. How terrifying it could be, after I think about it.

I quickly shocked my head off my musing. Did you know that thinking about something could actually make it happen? Especially in my case.

* * *

"…then I found myself thinking about it again. *sigh* How troublesome…"

I found myself in the morning, companied by my longtime friend, along with thousands of her books and a cup of tea each in front of us. Well, in her case, she and her cup were separated by a thick book which she reads at the moment.

"Mm-Hmm…" she slowly nodded.

"Seriously, I couldn't sleep until now! Not that I cared anyway, since I'm a nocturnal, but still!"

"Hmm…"

"And also, I- wait… did you really hear my story or not?" I asked, seeing her lack of reaction.

She sighed, closed her book and looked at me with an indifferent expression. "Remi, tell me one good reason why I shouldn't hear your story."

I raised an eyebrow. "Because… you're reading?"

"Exactly." she nodded. "Then, if there's no more I would like to go back to my book." she said as she open her book.

Seriously? Is that how you treat your friend?

"Hey, hey, come on Pache… I need your brain for the moment…" I pouted at her. This always works.

She took a deep breath, then sighed, longer than before. A moment after she closed her book quite abruptly, she looked at me, more annoyed than before. "Fine, if that's what you want. Have you ever thought that your dream is the excess of your power over fate?"

Excess? "You mean like a vision? If that's what you meant, then no. I've never had a dream like that before."

"If that's so, then you have nothing to worry about. Dream is, after all, only a flower of sleep." she took a sip of her tea. "But, if it's you we're talking about, then you should take some precautions."

"Like what?" I reached my cup to take a sip.

"Like pray, maybe."

The tea that's almost an inch from my mouth stopped. I put it back before I let out a stream of laughter while holding my stomach.

"Ahahahaha! That's a good one, Pache, real classic! *sigh* As if a devil could pray to a god." I finally took a sip to rinse my mouth after a good laugh.

"Can't they?" she asked.

"They can?"

"I don't know. Ask yourself." she shrugged.

That raises a question on my head. Have I ever pray before? Have I ever closed my eyes, gazing upon a star and asked for a miracle?

Have I?

"I'm not really sure…" I answered. "…how about you, Pache?"

"I once went to the shrine. The results weren't very satisfying." she answered while opening her book again.

"Oh, that time, huh…"

A pregnant silence followed before she finally opened her mouth. "By the way, are you really sure about bringing that replacement teacher here?"

"Why not? It's about time for Flandre to associate with another human." I took a biscuit which on the center of the table. "After all, this Outsider seems interesting."

"Interesting? How so?" she asked while lowering her book slightly.

"If my intuition's correct, this particular one could have a good connections with Flandre on a later time. I wouldn't be surprised even if she somehow became Flandre's personal maid." I took a bite. "Hmm… did Sakuya made this?"

"Wait, 'She'? Remi, did you read the newspaper?" she asked, ignoring my question.

"Paper? Since when did we subscribe?"

She put down her book. "*sigh* I thought so. Just to make sure, who did you order to go to the village yesterday?"

"Well, I was going to ask Sakuya, but since yesterday's laundry day, I had her had China to go instead."

She massaged the bridge of her nose. "I knew there's something wrong. Remi, I really feel that you should reconsider your plan from the start."

"Hmm? Why's that?" I asked before I took a sip of my tea.

"This 'she' you referring to, is actually a man."

*BUUUU-*

* * *

*-UURRSSTT!*

"Déjà vu… it's gotta be a déjà vu…" I mumbled.

"Yep, definitely a déjà vu-ze. Want some napkin?" said Marisa while handing me one.

"Thanks." I took it and wiped my face. "Reimu-san? You okay there?" I asked the miko.

"*cough* *cough* Just *cough* shut up for a second *cough*."

"O-kay~…" I averted my gaze to my cousin, "…how about you, Mia? Need some napkin?" I asked while handing one.

"*cough* *cough* Shut it, stupid *cough*."

*sigh* I knew this won't end well. After we ate our lunch, Mia decided to help Reimu to wash the dishes, so they left me and Marisa together in the middle room. That's when I decided to told her about me tutoring Flandre. Sure, she was surprised at first, but she was quick in getting her focus back.

She said something like neither Reimu nor Mia will agree – talk about obvious – about this thing, so it's better if we sneak out before they finished. Unfortunately for us, Reimu and Mia caught us barehanded when we almost took our flight. Note that neither one of us actually wear gloves, hence the punch-line. Now, both the miko and my cousin interrogated us in the middle room while we sit in a seiza position. Long story short, they were absolutely shocked.

Well, who wouldn't?

"Okay then… well, if that's all, Marisa-san?" I glanced at the magician.

"Yeah?"

"Ready to go for some weapon-hunting?" I offered her, so we don't need to confront with anyone again.

"You bet-ze!"

Just before we reach the shrine's door, Reimu suddenly shouted. "Wait, you two!"

I looked back, "Is everything okay?"

"Look, do you understand how stupid and reckless you are?" she asked. "And Marisa, why didn't you say anything?!"

"Pretty much." I shrugged.

"Ah, chill out, Reimu. I've known Flan-chan ever since I met her. 'Sides, what could possibly go wrong-ze?" said Marisa care-freely, her hands were on the back of her head.

I was actually surprised by Marisa's reaction a little. I guess it's either she doesn't really care, or that Flan isn't actually as dangerous as everyone suspected. As for Reimu, I'm not really sure. Maybe because she didn't hang out with Flan as much as Marisa? I don't know.

"Everything could go wrong!" she said, exasperated. "*sigh* Fine, I'll go with you both."

I raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"It'll be quite a news if someone found out you're dead meat in her hand. After all, Aya already met you once, so she wouldn't let such opportunity go." she confessed.

"*chuckle* Just say that you worried about him-ze." teased Marisa.

"Shut up!" shouted Reimu. Man, seems we've made her angry too much. Better calm her down a notch.

"Look, Reimu-san. I'm really sorry about this, but do you remember what I said about how much did I know about Gensoukyou a couple days ago?" I asked her.

"Yeah, and what about it?" she crossed her arms on her chest.

"I only know roughly 70%, and that's not much. For example, before I came here I didn't know exactly how you or Marisa-san talk, behave or socialize with others completely. I also only know how's Flan personality from fando- I-I mean, from rumors…" Phew, pretty close back there, "…so I'll admit that I'm actually really curious."

"'Curious'. That's your only reason?" she raised an eyebrow.

"Well, aside from helping Keine-san, well, yeah, that's pretty much how it is."

She face-palmed. "Fine, fine, if that's what you want. I'll look after you when you teach, then we go back immediately. Got that?"

"Got it. Thanks, Reimu-san." I smiled at her.

"*sigh* Whatever."

"Yanto."

I looked back to see that my cousin's already have a scowl on her face. Her foot's already recovering, though she still need a stick – which Reimu found in the storage room – to stand. Judging by her condition, there's no way she could follow us to the SDM even if she wanted to.

"Yeah?"

"You know what you'll be facing later, right?" she asked.

"Pretty much. So?"

She suddenly punched my stomach real swift and hard, making me hunched my back.

"Ugh, damn, it hurts…"

"You really are stupid, you know that?" she commented.

"H-Heh, Y-You're not the first one to say that…"

"*sigh* Judging by how hard-headed you are, there's no way I could force you back. Just go back alive, or I'll kill you in the spot. Remember that we're leaving as soon as I recover."

I looked a little more focused on her face. I don't know if it's just my eyes playing tricks on me or what, but I had a feeling that she looks worried for a moment there. Well, it's kinda obvious. After all, if one of your family goes to the devil's den, literally, who wouldn't be worried? I'd be more surprised if she didn't care.

"I'll try, but I won't promise, though. Also, I got two of the best incident-resolver in the land with me, so you should relax a little bit."

The two's reaction after I praised them varies between surprised, excited, slightly blushed, or all of them combined. Well, you could guess who makes which reactions.

"Well, take care then. By the way, have you got any ideas for your type of weapon?" she asked out of curiosity.

I gazed at the sky, pondering. "Hmm… I think I'll go with a short-sword type. Probably better if I have a gun too."

"Short sword? Not a katana?" she asked back.

"Nah, I'll pass. I know you're the type who likes the longer one, but you really shouldn't get people to follow your taste." I chuckled. "Sometimes the short one feels better, you know? Or do you like it if it could hurt more?"

For a second, the three looks puzzled by what I've said, until they simultaneously let out their own perspective reaction.

"Ooh!" realized Marisa.

"Wha-" blushed Reimu.

"Y-You… PERVERT!" shouted Mia.

"Hehehe, let's go, girls!"

"Bye, Mia! Take care-ze!"

"Look for the shrine for me, and tell Suika not to drink all the sake!"

"COME BACK HERE… _DASAR SEPUPU MESUM_!"

* * *

"That's one smart move, you know?" I commented him.

"Huh?"

It's been about 15 minutes since the three of us flew from the shrine. We're now headed to the outskirt of the Forest of Magic, towards Kourindo. We're currently flying side-by-side with Marisa and Yanto on my right.

"You know, joking earlier, even if it's a dirty joke." I continued, "That's really considerate of you."

"Nah, Reimu… it's even better because it's a dirty joke-ze." chuckled Marisa.

"Huh? What're you girls talking about?"

This man… at first glance I thought that he only worried about his cousin just because her life's in danger. But as time goes by, I realized that she meant more in his eyes.

"You don't have to hide it. You made that joke earlier just so she didn't worry too much, right?" I said.

"Not really, it's just a spur-of-the-moment idea, is all." he shook his head.

"Wah, we got a shy-baby right here-ze… Even if you're like that in front of her, you actually care, don't you?"

I decided to tease him just a little more. "Don't tell me… you're a sis-con?"

"Wha-?" he blushed slightly. "I'm not! Definitely not! Where do you get that idea?!"

"It's okay, it's okay, everyone has their own fetishes-ze." said Marisa. "After all, there's no way you're not a sis-con after you run away from your house for 3– oops!"

I face-palmed. Damn it Marisa, you're such an idiot!

"How did you- wait, don't tell me…" he narrowed his eyes at Marisa.

"N-N-No, I-It's nothing-ze! I-It's not like the two of us got curious of your conversation with Mia so we decided to eavesdrop or anything like- OUCH!"

I swatted my gouhei to her head, prompting her to shut her mouth.

"Oh, 'the two of us', huh…" he glanced at me. "Reimu-san, got any explanations on your part?"

*gulp* I don't know he could make such gaze. We decided to stops in midair so we could explain everything. His reaction? Mostly exasperated, but also acceptance.

"Look, girls, it's already a long time ago, okay? I mean, you've heard the conversations, right? There's no evidence if she even exist!" he reasoned.

"Yeah, yeah, we know that-ze. But what about Yukari?" countered Marisa.

He raised an eyebrow. "Yukari?"

"I also heard that part." I admitted. "That time, you sighed and muttered her name behind your breath. So, what's her connection with this?"

He face-palmed. "Well, for your information, Yukari actually said something like I shouldn't be surprised this morning. I suspected that she somehow knew, but keep it a secret from me."

After he released her hand, he continued. "Because she gave me such hint, my mind is restless and I can't think straight, so sorry if I act strange. I somehow got a feeling that she's still alive somewhere in Gensoukyou, but my mind just won't accept it."

Somehow, we both got worried by his downcast expression that we tried to cheer him up.

"Aw, it's okay-ze, cheer up! I'm sure if she's still alive, she'll be happy to see you!" said Marisa.

"Make that _definitely_ happy." I added.

He smiled a little. "Thanks, girls."

After we continued to fly, he decided to speak more. "By the way, have you got any ideas on who could she be?"

"Nu-uh, not really-ze." said Marisa as she shook her head. "None of the girls we know fits the description."

"Description?" he raised an eyebrow.

"All we know is that she's somehow a human. More than that, we drew a blank." I confessed. "Though, even with that, we still don't have any clue."

"Hmm… I also got the same conclusion, actually. If she's just a normal human, then she might be only a normal outsider that got stranded here. After all, most of your fellow incident-resolver somehow have a non-human side, right?"

"Whoa, you're not lyin' when you said you knew a lot about us." surprised Marisa.

"Well, overthinking will get us nowhere. Time will tell anyway." he dismissed while he gazed forward. "Is that what I think it is?"

True enough, in front of us is hectares of lush forest that spreads from left to right, almost reaching the horizon.

"Yes, that's the Forest of Magic, and that…" I pointed down to the border of the forest, "…is our destination. Let's go." I said while we descend.

* * *

Have you ever asked yourself "Why does bad things always happened to me?" No, I'm not going to say that I'm a man with the worst fate in the world, because I believe that someone out there is having a day even worse than me. Disclaimer again, it's not that I'm happy that someone out there is having a bad day, it's just that I'm grateful that at least God haven't give me his worst, yet.

It's just that right now, that particular question is the one I really wanted to ask.

I mean, how could I not? Let me arrange it for you. First, Mia wanted to bring me back. Second, Yukari tasked me to save the land. Third, there's a high possibility that my sister is actually exist. And last but not least, I still haven't got any clue about _that day_ at all. With so much on my mind, it's obvious that I couldn't think really straight.

Surprisingly enough, teaching Flandre is the least of my worry.

It's not that I'm not scared of the fact that in the next couple hours I'm gonna enter the drag- I mean, the devil's den. No, I'm not cocky enough for that. Heck, I haven't even tried any danmaku to know what I'll face in there. It's just that with how much things on my mind, plus with my curiosity over the SDM, teaching somehow became overshadowed by them.

As funny as it is, my runaway ticket from my problems is a highway to hell.

Not funny enough? Well, suit yourself. The author's a complete nutbag anyway.

…

 _Meanwhile, in the author's room…_

" _Why, exactly, did I degrade myself in such way?" muttered the author._

" _Am I actually…" the author continued, "…*chuckle* nah, I'm not like that crazy gorilla."_

…

*sigh* Okay, okay, enough overthinking. Let's just put aside those problems for a bit, and face what's in front of you right now. Take a deep breath… and release it… that's better.

As we descended, I noticed a house-like shop in the border of the forest. It was made of three parts, one which looks like a traditional Japanese store with red-colored roof which is the main part of the store, one which looks like a two-story storage sheds, and a corridor that connects them. Around the store is filled with old posters, old electronics and other old knick-knacks scattered around, gives it the feeling of a garage sale instead of a proper store.

"Now, Yanto…" said Marisa after we landed, "…welcome, to Kourindou!"

"It looks, well… unique." I commented.

"Yeah, just like the owner." said Reimu. "Come on. You don't wanna be late to the mansion, right?" she said as the two marched to the door.

"Ah, yeah…" so I followed them.

Marisa, who's in the front, opened the door quite abruptly. "Yo Kourin, you got a customer-ze!"

"Rinnosuke-san, you're in there?" followed by Reimu who's also waltz in like she didn't have any care in the world.

A male voice was heard from the inside. "Reimu, Marisa, didn't I tell you two not to enter the store without cleaning your shoe first?"

That was close. I almost didn't notice a doormat in front of the door. It's kind of unusual, considering that it's in Japan. But it's Gensoukyou, so common sense doesn't work in here.

"Sorry for intruding…" I said as I make my way inside.

The first glance of the inside of the store says it all. Lacks of lighting, even though it's summer and it's still considered as noon. More stuff – I wanna say 'junk', but I'll feel bad at the owner – than the outside also fills the room. Seems that the outside is for the bigger stuff, while the inside is for smaller knick-knacks. Marisa already sits on the nearby couch, foot raised to the table in front of her, while Reimu is nowhere to be found.

"Ah, I didn't think I would have a customer this day." said a man over the counter. He has short – albeit longer than mine – silver hair with one strand pointed upwards, golden eyes, and a pair of glasses. He wears a seemingly modified blue-black traditional Japanese outfit, with black covers his right arm, his lower stomach and the fabric that hangs on the front and the side of his legs. Overall, he carries the aura of a perfect store owner. That, if he actually sell any of his goods.

He is The Unmoving Used Goods Seller, Morichika Rinnosuke.

" _Finally, a male character."_ I thought to myself. No homo, tho.

The man holds out his hand and smiles, "Good afternoon, sir. My name is Morichika Rinnosuke, and I-"

"Or you can just call him Kourin-ze. He won't mind." cut Marisa through his word.

If I squint harder, I might noticed a little annoyance under that glasses. "Right… as Marisa might have said, I am the store owner of Kourindou. So, is there anything I can help you with?"

I shook his hand. "Hello. I'm Yanto Bahar, an outsider and the newest addition to Gensoukyou. Just as you might think, right now I'm as powerless as a rat, so I was just wondering if you have some sort of weapon for me to defend myself in this world."

He nodded. "Weapons, huh? We might have some in the back of the store. So, what do you have in mind?"

Ah, here goes the hard part. "Hmm… something light, easy to swing, probably a short sword or something of the short. I think I'll deal with speed and agility more than just some powerful slash."

"You might wanna have somethin' for the long range-ze." added Marisa. "You know, for danmaku and stuff. By the way, what's taking Reimu so long?"

"Just a second!" shouted Reimu from the inside of the store. "Rinnosuke-san, did your water heater broke?"

"Reimu, I told you that was my last tea…" said the store owner with a little grumbling.

"A busy day at the store, huh?" I joked.

"*sigh* Even more than usual. Contrary to your belief, a store like this didn't have that much visitor. The only one coming is only these two and some other unusual customer."

"Maybe…" said Reimu as she comes out from the inner side of the store, carrying a tray of tea, complete with its cups. "…if you start selling real things here instead of these useless junk, you could have real customers."

Wow, talk about blunt. Rinnosuke seems to already have a little scowl on his face, so I better come to the rescue. You know what they said, bro's before hoe's.

"I don't wanna agree with you on that one, Reimu-san." I said, as I ventured deeper into the store. "This store, no matter how you look at it, is actually really well managed. Look, electronic stuff are separated from home appliance stuff, which also separated from smaller knick-knacks. Also, considering the variety of the stuff here, I'll say this is a wonderful store."

It was no exaggerations, though. I always fond of exploring, without care of what I could found. Antique store like this were always my playground. So, Kourindou is like a treasure chest for me.

He smiled. "I see that someone understands my point of view. You know what they said, one man's trash…"

"…is another man's treasure, and it fits the store well, Rinnosuke-san." I continued. "You girls simply couldn't grasp the awesomeness of this store."

If I had a mirror, I might noticed my face made a haughty smirk. Now, let's see your reply at this…

"Well, in your case you simply turn a junk into another junk."

…that damn miko…

"So, did you have the stuff, Kourin? We not gonna stay her for long, you know." asked Marisa.

"*sigh* Just a second." Rinnosuke, which already resigned to his fate, started to walk to the back of the store. "While you wait, you could look more into our stuff, or you could just sit on the sofa if you want, Yanto-san. Please, have some tea while you wait." said the store owner from the back.

"Thanks, Rinnosuke-san."

As the three of us wait for him, Reimu started the conversation.

"So, why a short sword?" asked the miko while holding her cup.

"Well, I was considering for a land combat, actually." I confessed.

"Land-da ze? But, danmaku-"

"Performed on air, I know." I cut the magician's words. "It's just that my status as an outsider hasn't changed yet, so I'll have to prepare for the worst case scenario, which is surrounded by hungry youkai with no one to help me."

If I wasn't mistaken, there's a rule in Gensoukyou that forbids the youkai to hunt for human in the village. Unfortunately, this particular rule doesn't works on an outsider, which is why I choose a sword. It'll be good if I have a counter-measure against a short-ranged attack.

"That, I understand. But why a short one?" asked the miko again.

"Hmm… I guess it's because I'm not looking for a sure-kill weapon, but more of a stunner. With a long, heavier sword, my movement would become slower and made me a perfect target. If I use the shorter one instead, hopefully I'll be faster and able to at least run away from them."

"Smart thinkin'-ze. But what about for spell card battle? You still can't use any magic, right?" asked the magician. "What're you gonna do for some long range shoot?"

"*sigh* That's the real problem. I was thinking of using a gun as a substitute, kinda like Sakuya with her knife or maybe Reisen."

"Reisen doesn't shoot real bullets, right?"

"Well, no, it's just that her danmaku looks like a real one, thus my analogy. Back to the topic, it was then that I realized that I can't shoot the same amount of danmaku as them. I can't stop time to collect my bullet, nor can I reproduce magical bullets with my power." I answered the miko.

"It'll be such a great luck if I somehow found an equipment that can generate danmaku out of thin air. *chuckle* Yeah, like that'll ever happen."

"Aw, don't be such a bad sport, will yah?" said Marisa, cheering me up. "I'll be damn sure Kourin got just the thing for you."

Once again, I'm at the mercy of their words. "Thanks, Marisa."

"Here… you… GO!"

 ***THUMP***

With a loud sound, Rinnosuke brought back a big wooden crater and put it in front of us. Judging by the size, I'll say it's over 10 kilos. Wow. Such weight.

"Phew, that was quite an exercise…" he wiped out his sweat. Then, he bent down and open the lid, which shows dozens of weapons of many shapes and size.

"Whoa…"

"See if you found the thing for your liking." he patted his hip to clean the dust on his hand.

* * *

As I looked inside, I noticed that there's not just one, not just two, but almost three dozens of swords, maces, sticks, tridents, and many other weapons I won't bother to name laying in the box. Yanto had an awe expressions on his face, while Marisa face almost said "I wanna rob the hell outta them!" as expected of a kleptomaniac.

Suddenly, I realized something weird.

"Wait…" I asked Rinnosuke-san, "…why didn't you ever told me you have any of these?"

Yanto scoffed, "Well, duh. It's not like anybody wants to show these to some trigger-happy girls who likes to fight all day, taking stuff outta innocent while shouting "Danmaku's all about firepower-da ze!" It would be like giving Trump a presidential seat."

"Hey, I'm not a trigger-happy!" shouted Marisa.

"He never said your name, you know." I chuckled.

"But I- wait… darn it." she face-palmed over her stupidity, prompting me to giggle even more.

We waited for at least 10 minutes while Yanto search through the crate. He looks carefully, though swiftly, through each and every weapons, then put aside some which isn't to his liking.

"Did you found anything you like?" asked Rinnosuke-san.

Yanto thought for a moment, before he lets out a sigh. "I don't know. These are all pretty good, but… I'm still not sure." he looked at Rinnosuke-san, "You still got anything else?"

"I am sorry, but unfortunately, we- wait…" he put his hand on his chin while sporting a thoughtful look. Suddenly, he rushed to the inside. "Just a second."

"If you would, could you find any shooting weapons too?" asked Yanto with a little shout.

"On it!" said Rinnosuke-san from the inside.

Once again, we wait. Luckily, he comes out in less than 3 minutes. On his hands is a medium-sized maroon box.

"I remember found this laying in the middle of a way towards the village while I am on a stroll a couple days ago. Unfortunately, I forgot to examine the thing inside and just put it on a shelf." he said while he hands the box to Yanto.

"So that's why the store's empty…" thought Marisa loudly.

Upon closer look, the box has a glossy design, like it's never even touched a ground before. There's a row containing 4 columns of symbols I don't understand, with a design of a silver head of a creature with a red eyes over the row. On each side of the creature's head is a pair of upside-down wing feather.

"A… cryptex?" mumbled Marisa.

"A what?" I asked.

"A cryptex-da ze. It's kind of a container to hide messages in it. Or in this case, stuff." she explained.

Yanto eyed her. "Did you read any novel lately?"

She answered, "I read it in Patchouli's library. I think it's called 'Da Capo's Code' or somethin'."

"Ah, that…" mumbled Yanto in in realization.

"It is called a 'combination lock' to be precise, used to secure items through a combination of symbols. Though, you might understand it more, Yanto-san." said Rinnosuke-san.

"Well…" he started, "…'combi-lock' refers more to this symbol thingy right here. These were actually discs which could we rotate to change the combination. The box only opens if we got the combinations right."

"So, what's the combination?" I asked.

"That is where the problem is. The lock contain symbols I do not understand. It is not like any other alphabets or numbers I have ever seen in my life." confessed Rinnosuke-san.

"Maybe we could ask Kosuzu-ze? She might understand." suggested Marisa.

"Wait girls…" said Yanto. "I think… I got it."

"Do you understand the code?" asked Rinnosuke-san.

"I guess, but…" he let out a sigh, "…I don't know if it's a joke or the maker is actually really dumb."

"What'dya mean?" asked Marisa.

"These lock contains at least three number symbols from different culture. Sundanese, Javanese, Arabics… and I might also found Japanese in it, all combined in each disc." he explained while rotating it. "This might be a sign of cultural exchange, or the maker is simply stupid enough to think that it's amusing to see people suffer. Luckily, I've learned them a little when I'm still in school."

He then moved his finger to the creature's head. "This button shaped like a goat's head. After we got the combination, we push the button to see if it's right or not. Usually, goat represents the sign of devil in a pop culture. Did you know what the number of the devil is?" he asked.

"It's… triple-six?" answered Marisa with a little doubt.

"Right, 666. But, let's see the design again. There's a pair of upside-down feather wing on the side of the head. Feather wing means birds, flying creature, or…"

"An angel." mumbled Rinnosuke-san.

"Yep. Angels also described as the opposite of devils. Now, devils, angels, upside-down, plus consider the wings on each side. Combine these together, and you get…"

"999?" I guessed.

"696?" Rinnosuke-san guessed.

"313-da ze?" guessed Marisa.

"It's 969…" he face-palmed. "Though, we need to test it to see the answer." then he started to rotate the disc for a moment before he stops. "Wait…"

"What again this time?" I grumbled. Seriously, this is taking too long!

"There's 4 columns right here, yet 969 only need three. So how…" he put his hand on his chin.

"Maybe it's 0969?" asked Rinnosuke-san.

"Let's see…" and he rotates it. Then, he tried to push the head. "It… won't budge."

"Let me see." said Marisa as she took the box abruptly. She eyed all sides of the box for a couple seconds, before she lets out a "BINGO-DA ZE!"

On the lower side of the box, there's a matte colored symbol which almost unnoticed without squinting our eyes. I might not know much about magical symbol, but I at least know that it's an infinity symbol.

"It's an infinity symbol! Means that the code is the largest possible number in there! Yanto, try 9999-ze!"

"9999? So what's the connection between them and the goat?" Yanto said as he raised an eyebrow.

"I dunno. Just try it first!" she said as she handed him the box again, which he replied with a sigh.

"Let's see… nine, nine, and… nine." he mumbled. Then he tried pushing the head again. "Still nothing."

I smirked. "Know-it-all."

She scoffed. "Better than know nothin'."

"Maybe we should look more into what the symbol's philosophy." said Rinnosuke-san. "Infinity means…" he mumbled, "…unbounded, unrestricted…"

"…something very big or very small…" continued Marisa.

"…eternal, imperishable…" mumbled Yanto, "…or simply… wait, THAT'S IT!"

"You found it?"

"If I was right, it doesn't mean infinity, it's only an 8 laying down! It's not in decimal, but in octal! Rinnosuke-san, do you have a calculator or any other counting device?"

"I think we have one on that cabinet." he said while pointing at it, "Wait for a second." then he marched away.

"Octal?" I asked.

"Means that after 7, you jump-count to 10, not 8. Geez, Reimu, try to learn sometimes, will yah? I'll let you borrow Patchouli's book if you want-ze."

I let out a low grumble at her. "Shut it. It's not my fault that books and me are not compatible."

"Here it is." said Rinnosuke-san while handing Yanto a small device which looks like the one Yukari called a 'cellphone'.

"An older type, huh… let's see…" Then, he pushed down some buttons from it while asking us to remember some numbers. After he finished, he took the box and play with the code.

"So, is it correct-ze?" asked Marisa.

"Just a second. A seven, which in Japanese… the second one, which in Javanese, and the third one… oh, it's in Sundanese… there. 1711. Now let's see if it's works."

He pushed down the head. Then, with an audible *cackle*, the box opened, revealing the objects inside.

* * *

I swear, if this is like that cartoon Nitori once showed me, there should be that "Aaa~" voice comes out right now. What's inside is, as we expected, weapons. Two, to be precise.

One of them is a tiny knife that looks like a bird-claw. It looks small enough to be concealed in one's hand. The blade, which is dull grey-colored, has a crescent moon which enclosing a star carved in it. The knife itself doesn't have a cross-guard. The handle, which is made of light-colored wood, has a hole at the top of it that looks as big as a thumb made out of iron. On the side of the knife is its scabbard which has the same color as the handle and the symbol on the blade. Somehow, it looks like a stealth weapon used by ninjas.

If the first is already weird, then the second one is even weirder. It is a short sword, probably one-half times longer than Sakuya's knife. The dull black-colored blade which shaped like a wavy-serpent or a thunder looks really wicked. It's also lacks of cross-guard. However, the end of the blade widens to one side of the sword, made it looks like it has one. On the middle of it carved a sun-like symbols in the middle of wavy-patterned carvings. The handle is made of dark-colored wood with a silver carving similar like the blade in the middle of it. The scabbard which also placed on the side of the sword looks like it has its own cross-guard. It has the same color and carving as the handle and the blade, with the exception of the scabbard's cross-guard which is light-colored wood.

"What… are those?" asked Reimu in awe.

"They look… peculiar." commented Kourin.

Yanto, which still held the box, looks the most stunned. We even needed to shock his shoulder in order to attain his consciousness back. After we did, he blinked twice before he speaks.

"E-Eh?"

"You okay?" I asked.

"I-I guess… by the way, what did you three said earlier?"

No way… he didn't even remember?

"I was just wondering about the swords. Did you know anything about them?" asked Reimu.

"According to my ability, the smaller one is called "Karambit", while the bigger one is "Keris". Oh, I forgot to mention that I have an ability to recognize the name and purpose of an item that I saw. Though, the purpose of those two seems the same as any other sword, which is to cut things." explained Kourin.

"That's… a very useful ability." said Yanto. Again, he showed no reactions an Outsider should have. "By the way, you're correct. This small, claw-like knife is a karambit. It usually used in extremely close combat as a stealth weapon. The other one is a keris. Some said the older type have some magical powers in it, such as preventing bad luck or bringing good luck for the owner. Now, keris usually used for a traditional ritual or dance, or even as a decorations in wedding."

My eyes glimmer in awe upon hearing his explanations. Somehow, I just wanna 'borrow' it and took it with me. However, Reimu slapped my hand just before I made a contact with it.

"Ouch!" I rubbed my hand. "That hurts!"

"You know what? I think you should really see an expert to remove that kleptomaniac disorder of yours." commented Reimu, her arms are crossed on her chest.

"Hey, I'm not gonna steal it, I was just going to borrow it!"

"Yeah, like, until you die, which is the same thing as stealing." scoffed Yanto. "Think about it. What if the owner dies before you does. How is she going to take it back?"

"That's…" I tried, but I just couldn't find the answer to that question. Damn you and your mind games!

"So, what do you think? Is it to your liking?" asked Kourin.

"It looks… cool, actually." commented Yanto.

* * *

It was no exaggeration, though.

Both the knife and the sword have really unique shape, compared to modern weapons in real life or anime. Karambit's shape made it useful for slashing and hooking. Its primary goal is for self-defense in close combat. While keris, its wavy blade supposed to increase the severity of wounds caused by stabbing. Keris, in itself, is a work of art. It's rare to see one for combat today. Even on older days, the art embedded in it is fascinating.

This raises a question in my head.

Karambit and keris, even though originated from the same country – my country – it is unusual to see both of them so close together. Both were originated, or at least renowned, from two different island. The box, the code, the contents, all of them makes it hard to tell that it was mere coincidence. A line was made in my head.

"Rinnosuke-san…" I asked him, "…when did you said you found it?

"Hmm… If I wasn't mistaken, I found it around three days ago."

Monday? "Are you sure?"

"I am personally sure of it. That day my food stock runs out so I was going to the village to refill it. I remember because that day I forgot to take my pouch with me. Then I found the box on my way back." he explained.

Heh, so that's it…

"Seems the gap hag has it all planned, huh-ze." commented Marisa.

"Obviously. So, are you going to take it?" asked Reimu.

"Maybe…" I mumbled. I held the karambit with my left hand, but just before it reached my eye level…

"WATCH OUT!"

Suddenly, Marisa punch-slap my hand, makes me release the grip and toss it to the other side of the store.

"Hey, what gives?!"

Marisa, with sweat-dropped face, speaks a tone of nervousness.

"You almost blow up back there."

What?

"Blow up? Like, a balloon?" asked Reimu.

"That knife's dangerous-da ze. When you touched it, the flow of mana in this room changed, some get sucked by the knife and into your body. One second late, and you'll blow like my Ecological Bomb."

I gulped by her explanation. Not only because of the knife's ability, but because I can't feel anything weird when I held it.

"So, if that one's dangerous, then…" I said to myself as I reach to the sword. Three seconds after I held it, Marisa shouted again.

"DROP THAT ONE TOO!" she shouted, makes me release the sword immediately.

"That sword literally sucks the magic filled on your body earlier. If you let it suck a little longer, your life span could be reduced-ze." she explained.

I gulped once again. Compared to its design, the knife and the sword were actually really dangerous. Weapons that can kill the owner? Wow…

 **[Bersama-sama.]**

Eh?

"Did you hear that?" I asked.

"Hear what?" asked Reimu.

"It's quiet in here." said Marisa.

"I am certain that I didn't hear a thing." answered Rinnosuke.

I raised an eyebrow at their statement. Just before I asked them, I hear that voice again, a little louder this time.

 **[Kami. Berdua. Bersama-sama.]**

Wait… "We… both… together?"

"What're you talkin' about?" asked Marisa.

"I hear that sound ringing through my head. We. Both. Together. Together…" suddenly, a light bulb shines on top of my head as I realized something. "Don't tell me…"

I walked to the karambit, still holding the box with the keris in it. After that, I crouched and put the box on the side of the knife. Then, slowly and simultaneously, I grabbed the knife's handle with my left hand and the sword's with my right. I let it there for five second before I stood up and turned around facing them.

"So, how is it, Marisa-san?" I asked.

"The mana, it's… flowing freely from your left to your right, in and out. It's almost right a river-ze." she explained.

"How do you feel?" asked Reimu, a little worried.

"I feel fine, actually. It wasn't hurt or anything. In fact, I somehow feel refreshed." I answered.

 **[Beri kami nama.]**

That voice again… "I guess that voice earlier comes from the knife and the sword. Now, both of them asked me to name them."

"If that's so, then I suggest that you think about it deeply. In Gensoukyou, naming is a very important thing. It represent the owner as a whole, sometimes even the ability of the owner." explained Kourin. "Strangely as it is, I can't seem to find any name on both weapon except for just "karambit" and "keris"."

I smirked. "Unfortunately for you three, I've already got a name since I saw them." I looked at my left hand. "This karambit could absorb the energy from outside. It doesn't have its own energy source. With a crescent moon carved in it, I call it… Sabit."

Then, I looked at my right hand. "This keris could use the energy from within and let it out freely. It also has a sun carved in it. I called it… Surya."

As if responding to my words, both the knife and the sword suddenly starts to shine brightly, forcing us to either shielded or closed our eyes. Then, as fast as it shines, the light disappeared, leaving the four of us in utter confusion.

 **[Terima Kasih…]**

"That was… weird." I commented.

"Yeah, not every day you saw an item reacts that way. By the way, what kind of naming sense is that-ze? Sabit and Surya? That sucks!" mocked Marisa.

"Shut it. It's not my fault I'm bad with naming." I frowned.

"Yanto, I've got an idea." said Reimu, gaining everyone's attention. "Try to release one of the weapon and see what happens."

I nodded. Then, I put the karambit on the table and asked Marisa, "How is it now?"

"Weird… it doesn't suck your energy anymore." commented Marisa.

Curious, I tried the same thing again. Only this time, the one I put down is the keris. "Now?"

"It also doesn't fill you with energy anymore. What a weird weapon…" she said. Somehow, I noticed a trail of drool running down from one side of her mouth.

"Marisa, get to you senses." said Reimu while snapping her fingers in front of Marisa's face.

"Huh, e-eh? I-I'm okay-ze! I-It's not like I wanna borrow it or somethin', definitely not!" she stammered.

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, like hell."

"So, how is it? Is the item to your liking?" asked Rinnosuke, back to his seller tone.

I smiled and nodded. "I'll take it."

* * *

"Seems like Yukari got you good, huh-ze!"

The three of us were on our way to the SDM. It's almost '17.00', according to my watch. I'm almost late, so we decided to crank up the speed a little. After I told Rinnosuke about my job as a teacher, he somehow prayed for my safety there.

Is Flandre really that bad?

Anyway, we both decided that I'll play for the weapons next week, after I got my paycheck. He also reluctantly asked me to help him with his stuff, such as telling him how to use it. I gladly accept it, under the pretense of the payment.

Unfortunately, he can't find any kind of long-range weapon at the moment. Plus, I don't have time to test my weapons because of the lack of time. Now, Sabit is in my left pocket because of its small size while Surya is being held with my belt.

These two… ability to absorb and release, huh? If my guess was right, then they haven't yet to release their full potential. I somehow got a feeling that Yukari just gave me a cheat to boost-up my level a bit. I got a bad feeling about this. It's either that she prepared me for the worst, or the worst is just around the corner.

Unconsciously, I gulped.

"Well, I can't say that I didn't appreciated it, though! Getting these two is like getting power-ups!" I answered.

The wind's pretty heavy because of our speed. I could feel that my short hair flutters freely from the wind. We have to shout a little so we can hear each other.

"By the way, are we there yet?!" I asked, seeing the forest below us has no end.

"Just a little more! Look!" said Reimu as she pointed forward.

As I glanced, I could see a dense mist covered a big lake in the middle of the forest. The mist is so thick that I can't see what's on the other side.

"Is that what I think it is?!" I asked.

"Yeah! Welcome to the Misty Lake-ze!"

My eyes widened in realization. If that's really it, then maybe we could found a lot of fairies there. Maybe I'll meet Cirno, Lily or Dai there!

"Which is… a pretty bad thing, if you ask me…" I mumbled.

"Did you say something?!" asked Reimu.

Out of nowhere, hoard of fairies suddenly showed up and fired multiple danmakus of different shape and size at us.

"HOLY-!"

"Watch out!"

We were forced to evade the bullets by going left, right, up, down, and sometimes going back in impossible maneuver I never thought anyone could perform. Reimu fired dozens of ofuda at the fairies, which made some who get hit exploded in white light. Marisa took her time in maneuvering with her broom and fired green meteor-like bullets which makes more of them exploded. Meanwhile, the mighty me, desperately hanging onto my life while my head swaying left to right, sometimes back and forth because of the movement Marisa made with her broom.

"There's no end of them!" I shouted.

Our vision and movements were restricted by how dense the fog is, making us harder to evade and forced to graze. Suddenly, a stray petal-like bullets flew just millimeters from my eyes.

"AAH!"

"You okay?!" asked Reimu.

"I DON'T KNOW! THIS IS NUTS!"

I hope I haven't crapped my pants. I REALLY hope I haven't crapped my pants! Is this what spell card battle's all about?!

"Sh*t, this is takin' too long!"

Marisa took down her witch hat and pull out an octagonal block from it. After she put her hat back, she held the block with both her hands and pointed it forward.

That small block of abomination is her Mini-Hakkero.

"Yanto, now I'll show you why it ain't magic if it ain't flashy!" she glanced back. "Welcome to Kirisame Marisa's Spark 101!"

" _F*CK."_ was the only thing in my mind after I saw her weapon. Whatever happens after this, it won't be good…

"First, concentrate you mind. Second, mutter the spell to mini-hakkero tenderly." she explained while muttering gibberish to her weapon.

"Hurry up!" shouted Reimu.

"Chill, girl!" said Marisa. "Now where was I? Oh yeah! Then, aim at someone you don't like…"

The mini-hakkero on her hand starts to glow brightly. This won't be good…

"Now unleash you annihilation of love!" she shouted. **[Love Sign "Master Spark!"]**

Suddenly, three massive rainbow-colored magic circle appeared in front of her hand, one is bigger than the others. Then, a narrow white laser shoot out from the hakkero, followed by a massive rainbow-colored laser, obliterating everything in its path.

"FUUUUUUUUUUUU-!"

The force of the spark force us back a little. I have to grab he broom even harder so I don't fall off. Meanwhile, Reimu leisurely floated on our left.

When the spark end, all I could see is clear sky, lake and forest. The force of the spark actually managed to clear most of the mist. There's no fairy in sight at all.

"You could've done it faster, though." commented Reimu.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. So, how's your first danmaku-ze?" asked Marisa while glancing back.

"NUTS!"

* * *

 **And that is it!**

 **Sorry for being a little late. Exam plus homework really took my time. In fact, right now I have like three or more assignment due this week. Looks like there's no rest for me, huh.**

 **I was going to post this chapter a couple days, probably a week ago. But since it's already long, I decided to take my time and extend it a little more. As of now, I still think I'm going too far with the Kourindou scene.**

 **Anyway, what do you think about Yanto's weapon? Is it too shabby, too ugly, or too OP even? Well, I will answer some questions that might pop out on your head after you read this fic:**

 **1\. Can Yanto, with his weapons, copying danmaku?**

 **Unfortunately, no. As for now, the weapon's primary ability is absorb and release. Danmaku is even more complex than just shooting energy at your opponent.**

 **2\. Will Yanto be too OP with his boundary ability?**

 **No again. As of now, Yanto's ability is considered as only "Opening", not "Manipulating". He still have a long way to reach Yukari's level. Don't forget that Yukari forbid him to use the ability without her watch, so his progress might be restricted.**

 **I actually wanted to add Yanto's weapon testing in here. But, I decided to skip it for another chapter, maybe after he teach Flandre. The weapon's real ability will also be revealed.**

 **By the way, sorry for not adding Flandre here again.**

 **Now, I wanted to reply yet another review! Yay!**

 _ **Nefer Nightbug : I believe these 'idea waves' are called scintillas, which are invisible electroparamagnetic aerial worms which pulluate throughout the atmosphere.**_

 **Umm… *sweat-drop* could you, or anyone, link me where I could learn more about this 'scintillas'? I actually couldn't find it, and I'm ashamed by my ability.-_-**

 **The 'idea waves' is just something that pops out of my mind when I thought "What's the connection between anime in another dimension with our world?" So don't take it as real, folks. It's just a pseudo-science.**

 **By the way, the fact that someone actually took their time to read my explanations really surprised me. I mean, wow. I myself even bored reading it. Nevertheless, Mr./Ms. Nightbug, NormalMortal here sincerely thank you from deep within my wallet.**

 **I was actually going for heart, but my wallet's deeper… and emptier.**

 **Also, please review if you find something lacking, not right, or maybe can be improved. Please, it's really important to me.**

 **Until next time, then :v**

 **Btw, is it really okay going 3+ chapter without any epilogue? If you're displeased, just imagine that the scene in the SDM as a prologue.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer : Touhou and all its characters are belonged by ZUN. I only own my OCs and this story. Any similarities on any parts of the story with another fanfic are unintended.**

 **Chapter** **8 : The Devil's Den, Literally**

* * *

After Marisa's Spark ended, all coast is clear, literally. The mist, the fairies, all gone. Do I need to remind you that a tree just lost its top because of it?

When I looked at my side, Yanto seems to still having a shock. It was obvious by the way he's shaking while holding the broom harder than before. He's also muttering things. Weird things.

"Arm's heavy… knee's weak…" he muttered, "…mom's spaghetti…"

Yep. Weird.

"Come on, Yanto, get your mind straight. You're not a dank meme…" he face-palmed while muttering. "Anyway, Marisa-san, did the Spark earlier really necessary at all?"

"Well, duh… Danmaku's all about firepower-da ze! You said that earlier, didn't yah?"

Another weirdo. I stand corrected.

"Guys…" I called them, "…do I need to remind you that someone's here is almost running out of his time?" I crossed my arms over my chest.

"Sh*t, I forgot!" Yanto slapped his forehead. Seriously, why did he use so much bad words?

"Well let's go, then! Gotta keep up with the schedule-ze!" said Marisa before shooting towards the end of the lake, prompting Yanto…

"Whoa!"

…to hold the broom even harder.

*sigh* Do I really have to deal with those two from now on? Having a kleptomaniac at my side is already a headache.

I rushed towards them with little speed that I have. On the end of the lake lies a stone-paved road. At the end of it stood a huge mansion in the middle of a lush forest. Its primary color is red, courtesy of the owner. It has a clock tower that stood tall beyond the surrounding area. It lacks window, also courtesy of the owner. We decided to stop at the red gate.

"Wow…" commented Yanto while gazing at the building.

"Pretty flashy, huh?" commented Marisa. "Believe me, you haven't seen nothin'-ze. Wait 'till you see the owner, then you'll understand what's flashy."

I scoffed. "Yeah, like that vampire could get any flashier."

"It's rare to see you two actually taking the gate."

In front of us stood a woman barely higher than Yanto. She has a pair of aqua eyes and long light-red hair, adored with long braids on both side of her face with green bows at the end. She wears a green beret and Chinese dress with the same color. The beret has a gold star with a Chinese word carved on it.

She's the Gate Keeper of Scarlet Devil Mansion. Though, most of us forgot her real names and simply use "China".

"Usually you two just blast through the gate with your danmakus. Did something happened today?" she asked.

"Yo China, rare to see you not havin' a nap." greeted Marisa.

She face-palmed. "*sigh* I told you, Marisa, my name is not China, and I certainly didn't sleep all day…"

"Yeah yeah, whatever." I cut through her words. "Could you let us in already? Yanto here got a job he needs to do."

She stopped her pouting and eyed Yanto from top to bottom. She put her hand on her chin, almost as if she's scanning him. "A job? Did Mistress actually putting any ad on those papers?" she wondered.

"Ah, it's not like that, Meiling-san." said Yanto while scratching his head. Then, he holds out his hand, "My name is Yanto Bahar, an outsider and substitute teacher for Flandre Scarlet-san. Maybe someone from the mansion had already informed you about this before?"

She didn't react immediately. Instead, the gate guard froze in spot, as if someone's put a freezing spell at her.

"You…" she muttered.

"Um… yes, Meiling-sa-"

She suddenly lunged forward and grabbed him on a tight hug, prompting us to widen our eyes.

"UAGH!"

"YOU CALLED MY NAME CORRECTLY! YOU ACTUALLY CALLED MY NAME CORRECTLY!" she shouted while hopping in the air happily. The gate guard then looked at his face directly. "Say, what's my name again?"

"U-Um…" Yanto sweat-dropped. "It's… Hong Meiling?"

"YOU SAID IT RIGHT! Oh, you don't know how happy I am right now!" she hugged him again, this time it's harder than before.

"ACK! G-Girls…" muttered Yanto under his breath. "H-Help…"

Marisa and I looked at each other before we let out a collective sigh.

""Not my business (ze).""

* * *

After a minute or so, China finally let go of her hug. Yanto's now weaving on all four like a drowning man.

"I-I'm sorry!" she said, "It's just that you're the first one that actually got my name right. People just leisurely call me with whatever they want, just because my name's a little hard to pronounce."

"*wheeze* I-It's okay… sorry for not having a Japanese-tongue." he dismissed while stood back up.

"Could you let us through already? The sun's almost settin'." said Marisa, her broom's hanging on top of her shoulder. "We're runnin' out of time here-ze."

"Is there something urgent?" she asked.

"Maybe this could help you understand." said Yanto while handing her a piece of paper from his pocket. China scanned the content intensely before her face turned pale.

"No way… so you're the new teacher?! I thought you're a girl!" she said, shocked.

"Well yeah, and no. Hasn't anyone inform you before?" he asked.

"Keine-sensei didn't say anything about it when I met here yesterday in the village! Oh, this could be a trouble…"

 **[Love Sign…]**

Hearing that, we looked back at Marisa, pointing her hakkero at the gate and subsequently, at the gate keeper.

 **[…"Master…SPAA-"]**

"EEK!"

"STOP, MARISA-SAN!"

Yanto quickly lunged forward and held down Marisa's hands, prompting her to cancel the spell.

"Hey, are you crazy-ze?!"

"Sorry Marisa-san, but I think that's enough Spark for today." he said. I'll comment him for his recklessness. "Let me try handle things from here."

He walked to the crouching-down China. She covered her head with both her hand, as if it would be effective against Marisa's Spark.

"No, no… not the Spark again…" she mumbled while shaking.

Yanto crouched next to her and patted her shoulder. "It's okay, Meiling-san. Everything's under control."

"Is it really?" she glanced up slightly.

"It is really." he smiled, reassuringly. Then he helped her getting up.

"Look. I know this situation's kinda confusing or even hard for you to grasp, but please, you gotta let us through. I already promised to Keine-sensei to teach Flandre-chan, after all." he said, a little pleading.

"B-But…" she looked to the side, hesitant. "…I don't know if Mistress would accept this or– EEP!"

Suddenly, Yanto grabbed China's head, forcing her to face him. "Meiling-san, look at me."

"Y-Yes?!"

"Do I look like a bad guy in your eyes?" he asked. I couldn't see his expression because his back's facing the two of us, but I guessed that he's sporting a devious look.

"N-No…" she tried to shake her head, but failed because Yanto's holding it.

"Do I look like a pervert, or maybe some kind of horny teenager?"

"N-No! Why would you think of that?!" she shook harder, but still failed.

"Or maybe… I have a face of a lolicon?"

"NO, NO, YOU'RE CERTAINLY NOT!" now she succeed.

"Then, why did you hesitate?" he asked.

"T-That's…" she muttered, trembling.

Marisa, who stood on my left since earlier with mouth slightly agape, leaned closer to me and whispered, "Say, does this scene reminds you of somethin'?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Like what?"

"I don't know." she shrugged. "I just thought that Yanto's actually more cunnin' than what he lets out-ze. Like…"

Before Marisa continue, however, Yanto released his grip on China's head and moved back. "Think about it, Meiling-san. If I wasn't mistaken, your mistress has the ability to control faith, right?"

"Fate." I corrected him.

He grumbled a little. "Yes, that. Anyway, if she could do that, then don't you think that it's already fated that I'll become Flandre-chan's substitute teacher? That your mistress already knew about me from the start?"

"W-Well, if you're going through that logic…" she looked away, still hesitant but now putting his words into consideration.

"Look, you gotta believe me on this one." he patted her left shoulder. "After all, I got these two on my back. If I somehow lose control – which I believe I won't, don't worry – they'll come to the rescue, so you've got nothing to worry about." he said, definitely referring to both of us.

The gatekeeper went silent for a moment, closed her eyes and crossed her arms on her chest, deep in thought. After a few seconds, she opened it. "I guess I have no choice. Little mistress's education is important, after all." She flaunted the paper on top of her head. "For now, I'll show you the way inside while I hand this paper to-"

"No need for that-ze!"

Swiftly, Marisa grabbed the paper from China's hand, surprised the three of us.

"Hey!"

"You just stay there and go back nappin'. Let us do the work-ze!"

She grabbed Yanto's hand with her free one, kicked the gate open comically and dashed inside, leaving both of us dumbfounded on the gate.

"Whoa, not again!"

"You two, wait!" she shouted, but to no avail. She face-palmed. "*sigh* What do I have to say to mistress later?"

"Just tell her "Marisa stole the precious thing again!" or something like that. I'm sure the brat'll buy it." I replied her.

"But…"

"Hmm?" I glanced at the gatekeeper which now sporting a thought-full look.

"That hand earlier, his hand…" she muttered. "…It's way too strong for a normal human."

Huh? "What, you mean he's a youkai of some short?"

"No, not that, but…" she tried to think again, but then decided to just shrug it off. "It's probably nothing."

I raised an eyebrow at her statement, but decided to just ignore it and walked inside, following the two.

* * *

"Damn…" I muttered while massaging my left hand.

After the negotiation we had with Meiling, Marisa suddenly stole the paper from her hand and dragged me towards the front door. Believe me, if her name wasn't Marisa, I'll think that the one who dragged me earlier was a man. I mean what kind of woman having that kind of crazy-strong grip? A macho-girl or something?!

Looking back, I still can't believe that I somehow succeed in convincing Meiling. Well, half convincing-half forcing, actually. I don't really know what's gotten into me earlier. An idea just popped out of my head and I was like _"This will be good… Let's try it."_ Believe me, I'm not the kind of people who gets his way by playing with people's mind.

*sigh* The author really makes my personality difficult… I just hope I don't have any sadistic trait.

It was quite a gamble too, actually. I remembered a conversation I had with John months prior.

…

" _Wait…" John rubbed his chin while pointing at my laptop's screen, "…you said that this loli could control your faith?"_

" _Fate." I corrected him. "Also, 'manipulating' might be a better word for that."_

" _Then, shouldn't she also has the ability to saw the possible future? I mean, both comes out like a packet, shouldn't they?"_

" _Eh?"_

" _I mean…" he continued, "…imagine that you have some power like, for example, water manipulation. To be able to manipulate the water's shape from one to another, shouldn't you like, having basic knowledge on how's the water looks like before?"_

…

That was one mystery I can't answer for sure until this day. Sure, it's a possibility for someone to think like that. No source actually tells about Remilia's ability in detail. Some said that she could only manipulate it subconsciously, some said other things. In the end, all possibilities still stand even now. Meiling's reaction earlier didn't really help either. Damn.

Because of Marisa dragged me earlier, I don't have time to fully appreciate the beauty of SDM's garden. By a quick glance, it's full of flower of many species and color. Though, I hated biology since the beginning of junior high school, so I don't know what species are they except of maybe rose or sunflower. I mean, what's with the "Tubulus Contortus Proximal" and other kinds of weird naming? It's as if remembering yo mama's phone number isn't difficult already.

"Oh wait, that one's not a flower, huh…" I tapped my chin in realization.

Right now, both of us are waiting for Reimu in the front door. Marisa said that we should all go in together, just in case.

"Come on, hurry up-ze!" shouted Marisa. "We don't have all day, ya know!"

"Fine, fine! You two are too fast!" grumbled Reimu as she walked closer.

Which reminds me. Some people said that the SDM is far bigger inside than the outside, thanks to a certain space manipulator. So, if the garden's already this big, how much bigger it is on the inside?

"Well then…" I said after Reimu arrived, "…after you, Marisa-san?"

"Huh, why me-ze?"

Reimu rolled her eyes. "Ba~ka. As if an outsider knew the way inside."

I chuckled. "My knowledge about Gensoukyou doesn't include its map, unfortunately. Also, since you're the one more frequently sneaked in here, compared to the both of us, I guessed that you have the battlefield advantage, no?"

"Hey, it's not like I sneaked in most of the time, ya know!" she retorted. "I mean, even if I did, I'll quickly dashed my way into the library, so I wouldn't know the surrounding better-ze!"

Even after she said that, she's still the one who leads the way, followed by Reimu on her left and me on their back. We entered the main hall which, as expected, red. The lighting's as bad as Hogwart's dungeon at night, probably even worse. The only source of light is from the reddish stained glass on top of the main staircase. There is, however, a massive chandelier hanging from the ceiling. It hasn't been lit yet, maybe because it's still bright outside. There're also four hallways, two in left and two in right, and maybe more upstairs.

"O-kay~, let's see." said Marisa. She covered her eyes with one hand, then pointed to the hallways with another. "Eenie, meanie, may-knee… there!" she pointed to the further one on the left.

"Wait, you seriously don't know?" I asked, surprised.

"Well, duh." she shrugged. "I told yah before."

"Come on, it's already dark." said Reimu. "We'll find something, or someone, sooner or later anyway."

I sighed. What a mystery, Marisa is.

* * *

We walked from one hallway to another, trying to find Flandre's room or whatever we could find. Left, right, intersection, we walked it all. The rumors about it bigger on the inside is really true, after all. Heck, the President's office might be even fit in here!

Almost all of the halls were filled with paintings, mostly of Remilia, Flandre, and sometimes the SDM crew. Surprisingly, I can't find a single painting which shows the people I don't know. All of them are the character of the game. Which makes me wondered, what happened with their predecessor?

I looked at my watch which shows '17.39'. It means that we're already walked for more than 30 minutes. Most of the door we found is unlocked. The rest of them were either empty of stuff, empty of soul, or even both.

"Damn…" cursed Reimu under her breath. "I knew I should've used my intuition back there!"

"Now, now, Reimu dear, just relax and I'll show you the way-ze. I'm sure we're already close." said Marisa care-freely.

Trying to ease up the air, I tried to make conversation. "Say, Marisa-san?"

"Yeah?"

"Between the three of us, you're the one who know Flandre more, right? So, how is she actually? Her personality, that is." I asked out of curiosity.

"Hmm…" she put her hand on her chin. "Not much that I can tell you, actually. I rarely have a chat with her, even if I played in the library almost every week."

While putting her hand behind her head, she glanced back. "But, if I should give you a word, it'll be-"

Whatever she's going to say next were cut short because both of them suddenly disappeared from my view.

I gasped in surprised. Quickly, I glanced to find any evidence on where they could be, but to no avail.

"Sh*t…" I muttered. I took a fighting stance – a fake one I learned from game anyway – and drew my sword, Surya, on my right, and my knife, Sabit, on my left.

I could feel my heart's pumping like a locomotive. Here alone, deep in one of many poorly-dimmed hallways of the Scarlet Devil Mansion, threatened to be attacked from any sides, anytime, and by anyone. No, poorly-dimmed would be an understatement, as it has zero to none windows at all. The furthest I could see is even less than 10 meters.

Whoever – or whatever – did who knows what to Marisa and Reimu earlier, has got to have some speed and ability to do that. I widened my eyes at the possibility of the attacker.

"Don't tell m-"

 ***SHING* *STAB***

I felt some kind of liquid drop on my right cheek. I reached it with my left hand and winced a little, feeling an aching pain below a viscous water-like substance. Pulling it back, and I found that my presumption was right.

"Blood…" I muttered, trembled in shock.

Slowly, I glanced at my back. To be precise, at the red velvet floor. There, I found the weapons of the attacker, embedded into the floor, threading the lines of possibilities on my mind.

"Ah, did I missed?"

A nonchalant female voice rung through my head.

*tap* *tap* *tap*

"It seems that I have been getting dull, as of late."

No matter how much I glanced in worry, no matter how much I concentrated, I can't pinpoint the source of the sound, whether it's the voice or the footsteps.

*tap* *tap* *tap*

"Well, no matter. It means that I shouldn't bother with cleaning the mess later."

The sound's getting closer, while there's still no sign of the source. My heartbeat's drumming faster in each second.

"Did you know that blood's one of the hardest material to clean from a carpet? Especially a red one, just like what we have here in the mansion."

Suddenly, I could feel a faint breeze flew from my back. Quickly rotating myself, I was founded by a vision that prompted me to fling myself to the side.

 ***CHINK***

My sword which I instinctively hold up the moment before the weapon hit me, clashed and stopped it in its track. The weapon made a small *thud* when it reached the floor.

"Nevertheless, I have to stop you right now, or else mistress will be angry at me."

I was lucky this time. If I just missed by mere centimeters, I'll be dead meat, literally. My body's leaned back to the wall. Holding my weapons up, I shouted. "Who's there?!"

 ***STAB***

"SH*T!"

"Still haven't got a clue? That's too bad. Knowing _is_ half of the battle itself."

Yet again, I was lucky that the weapon missed – whether it's on purpose or not – my head for an inch. On reflect, I rushed back to the center of the hallway.

"Wait, let me explain! I'm not an intru-"

I was halted by a sharp object pushing itself to my back. I held my breath on reflects. Just half a Newton more, and it'll make its way to my intestine.

"Then…" the female voice whispered on my left ear with an eerie atmosphere, "…what is an intruder, if not entering into someone's home without permission, looking suspicious and all?"

"I… I… I-EEK!"

The object's pushing in even further, prompting me to bend my body forward.

"You…what?"

"J-J-JUST STOP PUSHING THE DAMN THING AND LET ME TALK, GODDAMNIT! I'M NOT A BAD GUY, I F*CKIN' SWEAR!"

She scoffed, letting me feel the air of her victory. After her weapon is out of range, I quickly rotated my body to face her.

There, standing elegantly with a smirk on her face, is a girl roughly as tall as me. Her shoulder-length silver hair worn in long braids on both sides with green bows at the end. She wears a blue-white French-style maid outfit, complete with white apron and a maid headband. Strapped on her left thigh is a pocket-holster, full of knifes. Her arms crossed on her chest, while her right hand held three knifes, red, green and blue, one between each fingers.

She is the Maid of the Scarlet Devil Mansion, Izayoi Sakuya.

"Then, care for some introduction?" she said, the smug still etched on her face.

I gulped and released my breath in attempt to relax myself – not very effective though. Slowly, while still holding my weapons, I straightened my back. "My name's Yanto Bahar, an Outsider. I'm here to teach Flandre Scarlet as Keine-sensei's substitute. Though, considering your expression, I guess that you already know beforehand?"

She closed her eyes. With a little movement of her hand, the knife's disappeared to god knows where. Followed by a deep bow, she introduced herself. "Izayoi Sakuya, Head Maid of the Scarlet Devil Mansion. I was told there would be a substitute. Never had I guessed it'd be a male."

' _She sure likes to show off her skill.'_ I thought. "Well, the gatekeeper also has the same thought. Which reminds me. Did you mistress actually said anything about me?" I asked while wiping my blood with my right sleeve.

"She only ordered me to keep my guards up. Nothing more." she confessed. "Though, I'm surprised that such a _bad-mouthed_ Outsider like you could be qualified as one of the village's teacher."

Damn, gotta keep my mouth shut later on. "I was even more surprised that a girl as violent as you could be qualified as a-"

"Hmm…? Did you say something?"

"I-It's nothing, nothing! There's absolutely nothing to worry about! Ehehe…" Don't just flaunt your knife like that, dammit! You'll give me a heart attack!

Okay, okay. Calm yourself down, Yanto. You're not here just to be killed the next second, aren't you? Just relax, think rationally, and let you common sense take over for you.

Wait, common sense are unusable here! Dammit, brain!

"*sigh* Anyway, here." I said as I give her the paper. "It's a proof that Keine-sensei already approved me as her subs. Do you believe me now?"

She looked at the paper for a moment. "Well, it does have her signature, and it appears to be her writing." She folded the paper and shove it beneath her apron. "I suppose I could let you pass. Then, follow me."

* * *

"You know…"

"Yes?"

The two of us walked through the dark hallways of the mansion with the maid in the front. It's amazing how she could memorize the entire layout of the mansion. I don't know where she'll take me, but it's not like I have any other choice. Here in this mansion, I'm like a lab rat in a labyrinth, not knowing where I am, or where I should go.

"…I was just thinking. Considering your mistress' ability, I guessed that she'd already knew about me, a male, being Flandre's substitute teacher. Is it okay for you guys?" I asked.

Without glancing back, she answered. "She didn't seem to be saying any complaint earlier. Also, the teacher already gave her approval, so there'll be no problem."

Then, she raised her left hand, flaunting one of her weapon again. "Just remember if you actually do anything to little mistress, _this_ particular one will find its way to your private parts."

I cringed while picturing it on my mind. "N-No, no, no… you have nothing to worry about! I-I'm not _that_ degraded, you see? Ehehe…"

She lowered her hand. "Very well."

*sigh* What a drag. I can't handle this kind of woman.

We walked for another two minutes before I remembered something important. "Wait a second. Where's Marisa-san and Reimu-san?"

"Don't worry, they're in safe place. I did nothing aside from moved them to another location. Right now, they're handled by mistress's friend."

Friend? Did she meant Patchouli? So… the library then?

"We're here."

The maid stopped in front of a wooden door. Then, she took a key from beneath her apron and unlocked the door. What's inside is a narrow rotating staircase, just like in a dungeon. After we walked at least two floors down, we stopped at yet another door. Unlike the first one, this one made out of metal-like material, maybe steel or such. There're bolts on the edge of the door, reinforcing it.

After she unlocked it, she knocked the door three times. "Flan-sama, the teacher has arrived."

"Just come in, Sakuya. It's not unlocked."

I gulped at hearing her child-like voice. Behind this door, is a crea- no, a person capable of destroying anything and everything. A person, who is the infamous Windows-era Touhou's First Extra Boss. My heart's mixed in hesitation, anticipation and excitement. I just hope that she didn't blow me up on first glance.

No pun intended.

I shielded my eyes when she opened the door. My eyes needed to adjust to the light again after so long wandering in the dark hallways. When I lowered my arm, I quickly focused my gaze to the one in front of me.

There, sitting on the edge of a king-size bed while holding a teddy bear, is a girl looked barely ten years old. She has red eyes and short blonde hair which is tied into a long ponytail on her left side. She wears a red skirt and a short sleeved light-pink shirt, covered with a sleeveless red vest and a yellow tie. She also wears a pink mobcap, adorned with a red ribbon. On her back is a pair of wing that doesn't seem to be wings at all. The bone looks like it's made out of twigs or even rusty wires. It doesn't have any feathers either. Instead, as if tied to the bone by transparent wires, were eight pairs of levitating crystals of different colors.

She is the Sister of the Devil, Flandre Scarlet.

"Little mistress…" said the maid on my front-right, "…this is Yanto Bahar, the Outsider who will be your substitute teacher for today. Yanto, Flandre Scarlet-sama."

The vampire didn't answer immediately after the maid's introduction. Instead, she eyed me with her blood-red eyes curiously. I can't seem to read her expressions at all. Is it interested, uninterested, or something else entirely?

I tried to make a conversation. "U-Um, good afternoon, Flandre-san… my name is-"

"You can go out now, Sakuya."

"Yes, little mistress."

"Eh?"

I was too stunned by her cutting my voice that I didn't realized that Sakuya, instead of watching over us, she left without any words at all.

"W-Wait, Saku-"

*CLICK*

…hello darkness, my old friend…

"Um, so…" I glanced back at my soon-to-be student, "…let's study?"

* * *

The both of us are now sitting in front of each other. She still holds her teddy bear, while was reading a book, specifically math. Keine said that the librarian already provided us with the materials – which is mostly in English, fortunately – so I shouldn't bother bringing any at all.

As I looked, the room's quite normal. It is a medium-sized circular room, colored with wide yellow and red stripes. Aside from the red king bed, there's a small bookshelf on one side of the room, filled with many not-so-thick books from many genres and types. Scattered on the floor, were dozens of her toys. Some were broken, some were almost. Unfortunately, the door didn't have any handle or key hole on this side. Now, I was stuck here like a rat in a cat box. Along with the so-called Diabolic Wave.

Personal analysis: the cause of Yanto Bahar's (sucks to be me) anxiety are:

1\. Fear – 20%

2\. Natural Introverted-ness – 80%

*tick* *tick*

It's been 15 minutes, according to my watch.

*tick* *tick* *tick*

15 long minutes without any conversations at all.

*tick* *tick* *tick* *tick*

15 extremely long minutes, both of us are sitting on the floor, in front of each other. No voice, no conversation, no-

"It's getting too loud."

…eh?

"Sorry?" I asked her.

"The ticking. It's getting too loud. Two times, then three, and then four…"

She pointed her right palm, particularly at a certain red table clock. Then, as if grabbing some hollow air, she said "Kyuu…"

 ***BOOM!***

…and the clock exploded, just like that.

"H-Holy… holy… holy…" I muttered in tremble.

"Grail?

"No…"

"Cow?"

"No…"

She widened her eyes in realization. "Oh, maybe you meant holy sh-"

"Okay, okay, stop that." I put my hands on her mouth, preventing her from swearing. Seriously, kids these days are growing up too fast.

I sighed while releasing my hand. "All right, maybe we should start all over again." I holds out my hand and smiled as best as I could. "Hello, Flandre-san. My name is Yanto Ba-"

"Just Flandre is okay, actually. I don't really care."

Eh?

"It's okay to call me Flandre, you know." she repeated. "Onee-san did that to other people too. As a payback, let me call you onii-chan, okay?"

Huh? "Wait, wait… I understand why you don't want me to use –san. But why onii-chan?"

She smiled while nodding, "Umm! You looked like a nice person, and I wanted to play with you! Is that okay?"

Seeing her smile, I couldn't help but to smile on my own. I already prepared myself mentally to face a psychotic vampire like the fans always depicted. Instead, what I found is an utterly innocent, extremely cute little vampire. Don't get me wrong, but I'm not a lolicon. It's just that after seeing her, I couldn't help but think that she's just another ordinary girl.

But, the prospect to be called onii-chan by such a cute little girl is…

NOT GOOD, YANTO! NOT GOOD! You haven't fall that low yet!

"*cough* Okay then, if that's what you prefer. So, should we-"

"So, let's play!"

I face-palmed. It's not like I didn't hear the last part of the speech, so to speak. It's just that I tried to avoid it by changing the topic back. First is because of the task Keine had given to me. But mostly, I avoided it because of the bad result it would give.

Gensoukyou's Guide for Stupid, No. 13: Never associate Flandre Scarlet with playing, ever.

"How about later, okay? Right now it's time to-"

This time, no one cuts my words. Instead, I stopped myself from seeing her sudden downcast expression.

"Flandre… chan?"

"You're the same after all." she muttered.

The vampire lowered her gaze, holding her teddy bear even harder.

"Nobody wants to play with me. You're the same, too. Like onee-sama, like Sakuya, like Pache…" the teddy bear's swelling from the pressure, her face's filled with anger. "…EVERYONE'S THE SAME!"

 ***BOOM!***

The teddy bear finally exploded on her arms. I was lucky that I shielded my face on time, else I could get blinded.

When I looked at her, all I could see is the tear-filled, pained expression of a lonely little girl. There's no trace of psychopathic 495 years old vampire, none at all. It made me realized that deep inside that powerful, cheerful, albeit a little weird girl, is just another ordinary girl. Just an ordinary, lonely little girl.

Even if the girl's already more than 495 years old.

"Say, onii-chan, do you… have a sister?"

Needless to say, I was stunned by her question.

"…where did that come from?"

"I just… I just wanna know what you feel about her… so I could know what the others… what onee-sama felt about me…"

I was lost at words. I wanted to say something to cheer her up. Instead, I remembered that inevitable conversations with Mia this morning.

…

" _Yanto…" she muttered, "…I can't stand to see you like this anymore. It's been five years already… You should've move on!"_

 _I took a sip of my tea, trying to calm myself so that I won't snap because of her trying to bring that topic again. "There's no connection between that and me having a sister."_

" _I know, it's just…" she sighed, trying to calms herself down, "…sorry, you just seems so lonely right now that I couldn't help but feeling worried. I mean, I AM your cousin, you know…"_

 _Wait… which part of me is lonely, exactly?_

 _Then, she smirked, "Also, it's not like you can have a girlfriend that easily either…"_

" _Hey!" I shouted, indignantly, "Stop rubbing salt to my years-long wound, will yah?!"_

 _She chuckled and let out a small laugh. I was going to get it back at her, but seeing her smile again after all this time…_

 _I felt something I haven't felt for a long time…_

" _*sigh* You know…" I said, trying to gain her attention, "…if somehow, somewhere out there, my sister's actually alive and having the time of her live… I don't think I would have the heart to interfere with it."_

 _I took my cup again, this time I just gazing at the substance without ever drink it. "I've looked at how well your life is with John already, and how you're happy with it… and well… as far as I hate to say it, I think I'll consider again on approving your relationship."_

 _Her eyes widened in surprised, showing a tint of blush on her cheek. "Yanto…"_

" _And also, I think that…"_

…

"Onii-cha-"

"I… never met my sister before."

"Eh?"

"I never met my little sister, let alone talking to her. Worse, I don't even know if she even exist or not."

"W-What? But how?" she asked.

I knew I shouldn't say all of this. I knew it all too well, dammit! I never liked exposing myself to anyone, let alone at strangers. But… somehow I felt that our situations were quite similar. I felt that I could just open up in front of her.

"Flan…" I said, "…do you ever think that your sister hate you?"

Slowly, she shook her head. "N-No…"

"Then, promise me that you won't think about that at all. Ever."

She sported a puzzled look. "But why?"

I decided to continue. "Maybe your sister have banned you from destroying other people with your power before?"

She nodded slightly, as I expected.

"You know why?"

She shook her head.

"That's because she doesn't want you to hurt yourself."

She blinked in confusion. "Huh?"

"Try imagining this. You're on a kyuu-ing spree one day. Accidentally, you destroyed a person in front of you, a person you really care about. Say, maybe… Pache."

If she's sporting a surprised look before, now her eyes are widened in horror. "N-No…"

"You started to panic. In your panic, you accidentally destroyed yet another person. This time… it's Sakuya."

"No… stop…" she shielded her ears, closed her eyes in a vain attempt to block the sound wave.

"You're panicking even more. Then, you destroyed the library, the mansion, all along with everything and everyone remained inside…"

"Stop it…" she shook her head.

"…then lastly, you destroyed your siste-"

"STOP IT!"

 ***BOOM!***

The table, which the clock were standing on, finally exploded in dozens of dozens of debris. I was too focused at her so I didn't bother to shield my face at all.

"No, no… I don't want them to be gone, I… *sniff* I don't wanna be alone…" she muttered in fear.

"One last question, Flan." I said. "After destroying them, do you feel hurt somewhere?"

She opened her teary eyes and lowered down her arms. "I-It's…"

I pointed my index finger to her chest. Especially, her heart. "Here. It hurts here the most, right?"

She nodded slightly.

"When you lost someone you holds dear, you will feel hurt and sad. I know because I once felt the same." I remembered _that day_ again, feeling my head hurts a little. But, I decided to continue. "The same as other people. When their loved one is gone, won't they becomes hurt and sad as well?"

I retracted my arms back. "I'm not gonna say that locking you down here is the best choice there is. No, I'm not gonna say that it's the worst either. Despite all that, I believe that your sister, that maid earlier, and every single person here do care for you. Even with all they've done, either ignoring you or leave you here all alone, they still love you with all their heart."

"How… how can you be so sure?" she asked meekly.

I shook my head. "I never sure. I never know what it feels like to have a sister… to have someone you need to protect, you wanted to protect, you HAVE to protect. I never have the privilege your sister have."

" _Yeah… I've lost all that privilege… even before I realized that I have it."_ I thought deeply. _"Even the chance to protect Mia, I already handed it to John. I think I'll have to thank him later."_

I slowly moved closer to her. Then carefully, I wiped her tears with my right thumb while smiling. "But, what I do know is if I do have a sister, I won't let her shed even a single drop of tear. That's what I feel, which I believe your sister share too."

" _And also, I think that…"_

"…I think that I'll wish for her happiness, even if I can't touch her with these feeble fingers of mine, these fingers that can't even protect anything."

* * *

"So, that man have those kind of past, huh?"

"It appears so, mistress."

According to my watch, it is '19.45'. As of now, mistress is relaxing on her chair, companied with Patchouli-sama and two cups of red tea. I stand on her right, patiently waiting for her next request.

One hour and thirty-five minutes ago, mistress ordered me to 'watch over' little mistress and the substitute teacher from the outside of the door. I was told not to interfere no matter what happens inside, except if it could danger little mistress's wellbeing. Quite conveniently, Patchouli-sama had casted a vision-enhancer spell on my eyes so I could see what is happening inside.

Fortunately, except for little mistress's little lost in control at the start, the latter part of her study session is followed by standard lecture by the man and several questions from little mistress. Calm and collected, sharp without bark, with sometimes lousy joke, which could be forgiven. It seems that my first evaluation is slightly off the mark.

"REMILIA!"

Unfortunately, in order to do the evaluation, I must isolate him from his companions, namely Reimu and Marisa. In order to do that, I stopped the time around the three of them. Then, with Patchouli-sama's assistance, we teleported the two into the library. Before the two realized everything that happened, I quickly tied them to a chair, so that they won't struggle to get loose.

"…" the mistress just silently smiled, took a sip from her cup.

"RELEASE US RIGHT NOW!"

I sighed. The angry shrine maiden is as coarse as always.

"Hey, Pache… I understand why you have to tie Reimu-ze, seeing how dangerous she normally is…"

"HEY!"

"…but why did you tie me too? Come on, it's not like I 'borrow' your book every time."

Patchouli-sama sighed, closed her book and make her ways towards the two.

"These rope…" she said as she stroke the magician's binding, "…were magically-enhanced so that it would only snap at a certain condition, courtesy of yours truly. Not even your gods-be-damned Spark could cut it off. On the contrary, a single command from the caster, and it would evaporate into nothingness."

"THEN RELEASE US! YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT FLANDRE COULD DO TO HIM!"

*chuckle*

After a long silent, mistress finally let out a voice. She stood up, glancing at the two.

"Reimu, Reimu, my cute little Reimu. If only you acted that way the first time we met, maybe I could finally gain my victory over you. Just think about it; the red sky, land, moon, all of them will be owned by me. Oh, how wonderful it would be!"

"Remi, I'm not done."

"E-Eh? Is that so? Well, continue then." said mistress, sitting back down to her chair.

"*cough* But, its specialty didn't stop at only that. The ropes will drain your energy to an extent so you can't break free from it, either it's physical, magical, or spiritual. Do not worry, as I constantly check on your condition so you won't travel down towards the Road of Liminality. As for _you_ , Marisa…" she pointed her index finger at the Marisa's nose. Her face shows a mildly resentful expression. "…considering how much of my collection you have 'borrowed', I might reconsider on the rope's tightness and absorbance power. Let's say… 360% or more?"

"E-Eh? Come on, Pache, it's not like I borrow it all, you know. I mean, you still have like, thousands of books here-ze." reasoned the magician, sweat-dropped.

"Well, that THOUSANDS and THOUSANDS of books are decreasing by a HUGE MARGIN every time you decided to barge in with that DESTRUCTIVE LOVE-POWERED LASER OF YO- *COUGH!* *COUGH!*"

"Patchouli-sama!" I quickly rushed to her aid.

After I gave her the tea, which she drank, she decided to sit down to her chair, accompanied by her assistant.

"Sakuya."

"Yes, mistress?"

"Escort the man, show him the way to the dining hall. Else…" she grinned while resting her chin onto her hands, "…Reimu might worry about her lover even more."

"WHAT?! WHERE IN MAKAI DID THAT COME FROM?!" she blushed.

I chuckled a little. Just before I leave, I said "Mistress, you might want to reconsider the shrine's economic condition before judging their capability to buy the tengu's newspaper. Else the cat might mew even more."

"HEY!"

Then, I stopped the time and walked towards little mistress's room.

* * *

I resumed the time again in front of the wooden door. While I unlocking the door, I thought on my first meeting with the man.

My first impression of him was crude, unrefined, foul-mouthed, stupid, _dirty_ … and probably a dozen of words more. He doesn't show the face a gentleman should have. Moreover, it sounds like any trash could come out from his mouth at any time.

But, that changed after I released my first attack.

When my knife grazed him on his cheek earlier, it wasn't that I actually missed _on purpose_. To be perfectly honest, I was going for the center of his face. Instead, he unconsciously _shifted_ his position slightly so that my knife would miss the mark. Also, that movement of him isn't like an amateur should have. It also happened with the second knife.

The third knife, however, is different. Intentionally, I threw the knife on his side just to see his reaction. Surprisingly, he didn't overreact or worse, frozen in fear. But what surprised me the most is that _his eyes followed the knife's movement just before it embedded itself into the wall, while it should've been moved near the speed of sound._

"*sigh* One shouldn't judge the book by its cover, huh…" I muttered.

Then, there's the part when he actually teach little mistress. Usually, even with Keine-sensei teaching her, she still have a hard time grasping the fundamentals. This man, instead, explained it in examples which is easy enough to grasp. He even show her some tricks and shortcuts – even if he didn't recommend using it – so that little mistress could still be motivated. Over and all, he is quite decent.

Just before I unlocked the steel door, I stopped my track in yet another stray thought. If, and only if, that man's sister still alive and well in Gensoukyou, the only possibilities is that she must be a human, or have some humanly part. Considering just how few humans I know…

I just hope that he didn't let his hope high too much.

*CLICK*

I unlocked the door. Then, I greeted both of them with my smile…

"Little mistress, sensei, have you finished your stu-"

…and that's where I found my reason to kill him.

* * *

…and that's when I knew that I'm going to die.

 ***STAB***

I was too shocked to even shout, let alone swear. Her knife's only a mere centimeters from grazing my right ear.

"Sakuya!"

"You filthy scum… release Flandre-sama this instant, or else…"

No, there's no 'else' in this context. Sooner or later, I'll be dead by her anyway, no matter what I do.

I tried to find my voice, which I failed. But, who am I to say in all this? After all, everyone would misunderstand if they saw _a girl looked barely ten, laying chest-first on top of a late teen!_

What a bad luck… who the heck replaced Touma's right hand on mine anyway?

Suddenly, Flandre stood up, face the maid and shielded me from her. Her arm's widened. "Stop, Sakuya! Don't hurt onii-chan!"

The maid raised an eyebrow. "Onii… chan?" then, she smiled with murderous intent. "I think I understand it all. Little mistress, it appears that your mind's been corrupted. Please, stand aside…"

"No! You've got it all wrong!" shouted Flandre.

Shockingly, I found the courage to actually stand up. "W-Wait… it's all a misunderstanding…"

She readied her knife. But just before she throw it, her serious façade turned into a curious one when she saw my face. "Why did you bleed?"

" _Bleed?"_ I thought. Everything became clear when I touched my scar from earlier. _"Oh…"_

"It's the scar from earlier. You know, when you-"

"I knew that. What I'm asking is why it's still bleeding even now?"

The answer comes from the stuttering little vampire. "I-It's… um…"

She looked down, muttering incoherent words.

"Is there something the problem, Flandre-sama?" asked the maid.

"I-I… I…" she muttered. I couldn't see her face because she faced the other way. I think I'll explain it.

"Well, it's actua-"

"DON'T SPEAK!"

I was surprised to see Flandre suddenly jumped back, trying to cover my mouth.

Wait… is that a blush on her cheek?

"Yanto… sensei, I presume?" said Sakuya, "Would you tell me the story in details?"

"NO, NO, DON'T SAY ANYTHING! I DON'T WANT HER TO KNOW THAT I TASTED YOur blood…"

Oh man… she slipped her tongue…

"Is that true?" the maid asked again.

I pushed Flandre a little to gain my space. "*sigh* Well actually, yeah it is… but I still couldn't see the problem with that, thought."

"AAH!"

Flandre shrieked in horror. Instantly she crouched down, trying to cover her face by pulling her mob cap down. The pose reminded me of Remilia's Charisma Break. Seeing this, the maid sighed while storing her knifes down, prompted me to relax my heart. She walked down to Flandre and crouched near her.

"You know…" she said as she slowly rubbed Flandre's cap-less head. "…little mistress never drink a person's blood directly. Most of her blood's supply comes from the food I made."

I nodded understandingly, still couldn't see the problem. "Hmm… is that so…"

The maid helped the vampire to stand. When I see it, Flandre's face is surprisingly… red?

"Well, congratulations, you lucky scum." she smiled, albeit with a murderous one. "You just became little mistress' first time, in a sense."

I was silent for a moment before reality struck me hard, prompting me to blush even harder.

"WHAT?!"

* * *

 **I think I ruined this chapter…**

 **I don't know, it's just… *sigh* I feel that it's one of the hardest chapter that I write. How to implement Meiling, Flan and Sakuya's character, how to write their speech, and much more… overall, it's quite a challenge, and I still feeling that there's some part which is lacking, incomplete, or even broken.**

 **If you have any suggestions on any parts, please let me know.**

 **Anyway, I was surprised to see that I managed to end it before my final actually start. These three weeks is packed already, what with assignment and exam. But somehow, I made it! I actually planned for this story to be about 9k long, but I think if I let it loose, I'll burst it out until 10k more. So, next part will have to wait.**

 **Now, I wanted to answer yet another review. This time, it's three in a row! Woohoo!**

 _Unicorn 359_ : Kerambit and keris huh? Its really nice traditional weapon to use and ability to absorb and release the energy its quite fair for my opinion. I wonder what happen to Yanto after Marisa blasting her Love Spark. Keep it up!

 **Why, thank you my good man. It's just what I found on a whim. My brain's been filled with lots of random stuff lately. But, I need to remind you all that Yanto can only absorb and release energy, as of now. The power to copy danmaku is beyond him. It's so that he won't be too OP, so you might found him to actually lose in fight once in a while.**

 **Well, nobody's perfect, right? Anyway, thanks for your support!**

 _booman118800_ : go to youtude and search 3D touhou

 **So, a couple days ago I finally found some decent internet connection. When I finally watched one particular video, namely Humans vs Yukari…**

 **Wew, I screamed like a little girl. No exaggerations. That was one of the most insane 10 minutes of my life! Not to mention the other video, such as Yuyuko vs Reimu, and the upcoming Subteranean Stars! My mind's practically filled with inspirations that time. Also, I'm considering putting some BGM for when a fight start.**

 **Thanks for your support, my good man!**

 _razer8518_ : holy f*ck ive been reading this fanfic from chapter one to 7 straight holy sh*t ive never been so immersed (or something you can say that) f*ck man i f*cking love the suika part and keine one pls pls dont stop writing this i f*cking love this work of yours the part when yukari and the oc starts breaking the fourth wall im so fucking blown

 **Umm… *sweat-drop* that was… *blush* I'm not quite sure how to respond to that. I was happy to see that somebody actually liked this story, but I wouldn't realized it to this extend. Wow.**

 **With much blush, I, NormalMortal, thank you and all my readers for your supports. It's one of the reason I could keep up until now.**

 **About the next chapter? I think it would rotate about Yanto meeting the mistress of the SDM, and some more, and I still haven't got the idea. So, it might be shorter than usual. It might be finished around the next month, or even longer. Exam and other things still slow me down a little bit, but I'll try to write it anyway.**

 **Thanks for all your support. Please review if you've got some awesome idea, or if there's something bugging your mind.**

 **Until next time, then :v**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer : Touhou and all its characters are belonged by ZUN. I only own my OCs and this story. Any similarities on any parts of the story with another fanfic are unintended.**

 **Chapter** **8 : From Gensoukyou to San Andreas In an Instant**

* * *

"Wait, what?"

"Like I said, the Scarlet Mist Incident, which created by yours truly, happened around 5 years ago."

After the teaching session ended, Sakuya showed our ways to the dining room. Well, maybe 'hall' would be more appropriate, considering the humongous size of it. It turns out that the hallways of SDM isn't as dark as I thought. As per the mistress's instruction, they cut off the lighting for a bit in order to "Invoke the perfect atmosphere." When we arrived, the rest of the company already seated on their own seat, in front of a very long racetrack-shaped table.

Seated on one end of the table, is a girl with a look that resembles a 10 years old. She wears a light-pink dress and mob cap, adored with red ribbons here and there. She has shoulder-length light-blue hair. There's a pair of dark wing on her back, much like a bat. The aura around her is what you would expect from a noble. But, there's a certain childish feeling into it.

She is The Scarlet Devil, Remilia Scarlet.

On one side of the table, in front of Reimu and Marisa, is another girl looks roughly their age. She wears a lavender pajama and night cap, adored with a golden crescent moon on her cap and red and blue ribbons here and there. Her long hair is a dark shade of purple, along with her eyes. From a glance you could tell that she's not feeling well, or even having a weak constitution. Currently, she's reading a book in front of her, not even bother to glance at us.

She is The Unmoving Great Library, Patchouli Knowledge.

Their reaction after seeing me unscathed, for the most part is, relieved. Reimu had that face which filled with questions, but fortunately she held it in. Marisa's just like usual. The only thing they asked is about the cut on my cheek. Seeing how embarrassed Flandre before, I decided to say that it's because I tripped and grazed onto something.

Sh*t, can't blame Sakuya for this!

Currently, I sat next to Marisa, the furthest away from the mistress of the mansion. Flandre choose to sit between her sister and the mansion's librarian. Her face's still showing a slight blush every time our gazes met. Man, she even tried to avoid it. Meanwhile, Sakuya stood behind her mistress. When I asked her if she'll eat with us, she only gave a slight bow, saying something like 'maid's etiquette' or something.

Right now, I was confused by the information Remilia gave me.

"Are you really certain of that?" I asked again, this time my gaze is pointed to the two incident resolver.

The miko, while still enjoying the meal – consisting of some type of steak, which I surprised that Sakuya had the time to prepare – gave a slight nod after swallowed her food. "Well, if you consider just how much summer has passed after that incident, yeah."

No, there's something really wrong with that. The Embodiment of Scarlet Devil, the game which the mist incident happened in, was released roughly more than ten years ago. Hearing that it only happened around 5 years ago is extremely odd. The look on their face didn't show any hesitation either.

Possibilities and theories started to form in my head. The first one, is that Yukari somehow put me back in time, which is almost impossible if I think about it. The second one, is that the range between each incident is shorter than I thought. But, it's also unlikely. If that's so, then that means ZUN somehow made a game about an incident that happened in the future? That he somehow predicted it with such accuracy?!

Wait… suddenly I remembered a little details about my conversation with Keine just a day prior.

...

"… _Just imagine when they heard about the social upheaval. The villager's all ganged up, saying that 'humans should also stood up against youkai', 'we are not a weak creature', 'the top of the food chain' or whatever they were blabbering of!_ _..."_

 _..._

If my guess was right, then that means the so-called 'social upheaval' happened around one of the newest game, called the Double Dealing Character, and I arrived in Gensoukyou after it. Damn, something just doesn't add up! I wanted to ask them a little more, but that would leave suspicion in their eyes…

*sigh* I guess I'll have to investigate on my own later.

"5 years already, huh-ze. I can't believe that time passed that fast." commented Marisa, her hands on the back of her head.

"That is worth 5 years of books for you to return." said the librarian with a stoic face, still etched to the book. But, a slight dejection on her tone goes unnoticed.

"Hey, hey, we already talked about this before, right Pache?" said Marisa, sweat-dropped.

"I don't remember we've reached an agreement, though." countered Patchouli.

"Now, now…" said Remilia, gaining everyone's attention. "…let's put it aside for another time, shall we? Now, let's move to another topic." her gaze shifted to me. "Yanto-sensei, we have evaluated your teaching skills and we have come to a conclusion." Then, she stood up from her chair – which doesn't change anything, considering her height.

"Would you like to become Flan's permanent teacher, for as long as you stayed in Gensoukyou?"

My only response is a couple of blink. Okay, that's… "Just where did that come from?"

"To tell you the truth…" said the maid, joining the conversation, "…I have already watched over the learning session you had with little mistress. And, as such, we considered that it would be better for you to be little mistress' teacher, rather than Keine-sensei."

That was… wrong in every aspect. If I said yes, then it would like that Keine is being shoved off her responsibility and job. Knowing how Keine is, I think that she would feel sad, or even upset because of it. I don't know what would become of me if that happened.

"Wait, before we reach any conclusion…" I said, "…I think I need to tell you that there's two major problems. First, I can only teach math, while other subject is beyond me. Maybe I can teach her a little English conversation, or maybe very basic physics, but that's it. My Japanese is also mediocre."

Well, Keine only asked me to be the village's math teacher in the first place. Not counting about Flandre, though. To be honest, I'm not the brightest bunch in high school, let alone in college. My best score was usually other people's average, or even worst.

"Also…" I continued, "…I think that I can't give any yes or no in this. There are some people that involved which would be better for them to give an approval."

"…and that would be?" asked the vampire.

I raised my fingers and counted. "First, it would be Keine-sensei, as Flandre's official teacher. Second, it would be you, Remilia-san, as Flandre's big sister and the owner of the mansion. Though, you already confirmed your request earlier, so it could be nullified. Third, it would be Flandre herself."

"Hmm…" the vampire nodded understandingly. "…then that would make things easier. Tell me, instead of being Keine's substitute, how about becoming Flandre's permanent math teacher instead? We'll arrange another schedule with Keine and see if she'll accept! How about that?"

"Wait…" said Reimu, interrupting, "…you're getting suspicious, Remi. What's your real plan?"

The miko readied her talismans on one hand, ready for attack. I was expecting for Remilia or Sakuya to jump into action as well, so I readied my hands on my weapon's handles, ready to attack.

Instead, what we got was a light chuckle from the vampire and a smile from the maid. "Oh, Reimu… there's nothing to worry about, really. I was just worried about my little Flan's education, is all." she shifted her gaze to me. "Tell me, Yanto-sensei. Why did you accepted to be a math teacher in the first place?"

I lowered my hand, but still on standby. "Well, first is I needed the pay. Second is because Keine wanted to renew the math curriculum, which I suggested."

Wait…

The vampire smirked. "That's right. Surely that were-hakutaku wants to renew the curriculum for all her students, right? Then, it would be no problem for you to teach Flandre too, hmm?"

"And since you said that you do not have a say in this matter…" continued the maid, "…I would take it that you cannot refuse anything we decided for you."

I face-palmed myself. I can't believe my brain can be this stupid!

Needless to say, Reimu got even more enraged by that. "You brat… I will-"

"I will increase the pay."

"Deal."

…da heck?! "Reimu-san, are you insane?!"

She only shrugged. "The shrine always needs more for maintenance. Besides, you just leave her room with her unscathed, right? Also, the way I see it, you two seems to be getting along well. So, why not?"

I face-palmed again. I can't believe my landlady can be this money-oriented!

"Don't worry, don't worry-ze." said Marisa-san while patting my shoulder. "More visit means more reason for me to escort you here! Even without Reimu, you still got me, the one-and-only Kirisame Marisa! Believe me, you've got nothin' to worry about!"

"You just wanted a reason to barge into the library again." countered Patchouli, receiving an "Urk." from Marisa.

The vampire, which from earlier smiled in victory, rested her chin on her hands. "You've already heard my reason, so that leaves my little sister and the village's teacher." She shifted her focus to her imouto. "Then, how about you, Flan?"

The blonde vampire, which eyes from the start focused somewhere as to not looking at me, quickly looked up to her sister. "H-Huh?"

"Would you like Yanto-sensei to be your permanent math teacher?" asked the blue-haired vampire again.

"E-Eh? W-Well, I…" she fidgeted while looking down, "…I don't really… mind, actually…"

"Then…" the blue-haired vampire clapped her hand, "…that settles it! Sakuya."

"Yes, mistress." the maid reached beneath her apron and pulled an envelope, which then she gave to her mistress.

"Here is my formal request to the teacher." she handled Reimu the envelope, which then distributed to me. "I will send Sakuya to receive the news by the end of the week. Until then, I'll be expecting you to give her the letter."

I slumped on my chair. I can't believe I'm becoming my own downfall because of my own stupidity.

* * *

It's almost 9 o'clock, based on my watch. The three of us are ready to leave the mansion. The only one escorted us to the door is Sakuya, followed by Flandre. Just before we flew, the little vampire called me.

"Onii- I- I mean, Yanto-sensei…"

I looked back. "Hmm?"

She fidgeted, looking down. "You're not angry, aren't you? I mean, onee-sama forced you to teach me, and…"

Seeing her like this, I couldn't help but chuckle. I bowed down and patted her head. "It's not anyone's fault. What's important now is your education." Then, I whispered to her ear. "Also, you can call me onii-chan if you want."

Hearing this, the blonde vampire beamed. "Really?! So you're gonna play with me next time?!"

Unconsciously, I gulped. "W-Well, as long as it doesn't involves danmaku or kyuu-ing, I guess…"

She nodded happily. "Umm!"

"Well, it's getting late. Please be careful on your way back." said Sakuya, subtly demanded us to get back.

"Hey, who do you think we are-ze, a bunch of yesterday's children?" countered Marisa, raising an eyebrow.

"We will, we will." said Reimu while waving her hand.

"Oh, and also, Yanto-sensei…" said Sakuya, one last time.

"Yes?" I raised an eyebrow.

"…I hope that you do not get too optimistic in searching what you are looking for. The world is much larger than you think."

I raised an eyebrow. "What do yo-" I stopped when I understand what she meant. "So you've been peeping at us the whole time, huh?"

She smirked. "Obvious, is it not?"

I sighed in exasperation. But, somehow I relieved because it means that Remilia still care about Flandre's wellbeing. "To tell you the truth, I'm not hoping anything at all. If I somehow got lucky, then thank god. If I don't, well, I don't really care anyway."

The maid closed her eyes in understanding. "If that's your decision."

"Come on, it's *yawn* getting late-ze." said Marisa.

"Well then…" I waved my hands at the two as the three of us ascended. "…goodnight, you two!"

The maid just bowed slightly, while the vampire jumped and waved, "See you again, sensei!"

The three of us ascended slowly until we reached our desired height – high enough to avoid fairies, low enough to notice the surroundings. The moon was, once again, glowed brightly. Because of it, I could see the marvels of Gensoukyou tonight, starting from the misty lake, all the way to the mountain range. We flew slowly enough so that the wind doesn't bother us too much.

"Lolicon."

I looked to my side. "What?!"

"Don't try to hide it, really. I could see it in your eyes." said the red-white miko, smirking.

"If I knew a spell to conjure a mirror outta nowhere…" said Marisa, "…then I'll make hundreds of it right now, just to prove Reimu's point." she glanced back with a sly smile. "Seriously-ze. You look like a horn-dog back there."

"Not to mention your eyes. Brrr…" shivered Reimu, "…just remembering it gives me the chill…"

I frowned. "Okay, that's extremely wrong in every aspect. First, I'm not a pedo. Second, I'm not interested in any vampire. Well, I admit that she's cuter than I thought, but there's no way in Makai's basement that I saw her in such way!"

The two, instead of answering back, just chuckled. Well, it's a laugh in Marisa's case. "Hahaha! Oh come on, Yanto, you're such an uptight!"

"*chuckle* But really, though. I still can't believe that you two got along in such a short time."

Hearing this, I simply shrugged. "*sigh* I'm just glad that she turned out to be better than what I'd expected, you know." I decided to shift the topic. "By the way, do we have any schedule for tomorrow?"

The witch put her hand on her chin. "Hmm… how 'bout some weapon-testin'-ze? We forgot to do it because of the time before, right? While we're at it, maybe we could show you some danmaku too. Y'know, for reference."

"After that…" continued the miko, "… maybe we could get some solution for your flying problem." she glanced at the witch, "Marisa?"

The witch slapped her forehead. "Shoot, I almost forgot! I guess she's already done with it by now."

I raised an eyebrow. "Who's 'she'? And what's the solution anyway?"

The two looked at me before they simultaneously smirked. ""It's a secret (-ze).""

* * *

Same morning. Same ceiling. Same bed.

*RIIING* *RIIING*

I woke up to the same noise every day.

"Ugh, not again."

I took my phone, turned off the alarm, and then looked at the clock.

"7.01… Friday… Oh well, I guess I'll-" I muttered to myself befo-

"WAKE UP, YA SLEEPY HEAD!"

"GUAH!"

I raised up to my seat, quickly searching for the source of the sound in panic, until I finally found it.

"Marisa-san, it's still morning, dammit…" I rubbed my eyes, grumbling.

"Well, duh… obviously-ze! That's why you gotta wake up!"

Man, not this nonsense again… "Just 5 more minutes… "*yawn* or hours…" I said as I back to sleep, facing my back against her. "Say hello to the sun for me, will yah? Tell him I'm tired of his sh*t."

"Don't worry about him, Marisa-san."

I slightly glanced back to see my cousin, finally managed to walk without any aid. Most of the bandages is also already been taken off. If not for Eirin's suggestion, maybe I don't have to check her up tomorrow.

"Sleeping is always Yanto's biggest weakness since childhood, after being single." she said. I couldn't see her properly, but I guessed that she's sporting a smirk.

"Cut me some slack, girls…" I muttered, "…teaching really drains my energy, you know…" I pointed my gaze at my cousin. "…and stop talking about me being single already!"

"Breakfast's ready!"

I heard another sound, coming from one side of the room. Then, Reimu came in with a tray full of dish.

"Come on, Yanto. Sleeping-in is a bad habit."

"Said the miko who slacked off all the time-ze." said the witch, making her frown.

I decided to give up. "*sigh* Fine, fine… I'll eat it now…"

After the four of us ate our breakfast, we walked to the back of the shrine. Reimu sat on the porch, while me and Marisa were standing in the middle of the grass. Mia decided to make us some tea.

"Okay…" said Marisa, juggling her mini-hakkero on her right hand then caught it back, "…we already know that your weapons can absorb and release energy, but that's it. We know less than Jon Snow except for that."

The witch looked at her hand, mainly at her weapons. "My mini-hakkero can amplify the magic I put into it and release it into an attack. My theories is that you sword and knife works in similar way."

" _Wow…"_ I thought, _"…she sounds smarter without any –ze._ "

"To prove that, here…"

The witch raised her free hand until it was her eye-level. Then, she summoned a small white-yellowish bullet orb.

"…try to hit or slash the orb with your knife. It's a heat-based one."

I nodded. Then, I readied my weapons while walking closer to her. The orb's still floating slowly in the air.

"Well, what're you waitin' for?" asked Marisa. "Quick, before it's gone!"

"Okay, okay…" I conceded. Slowly, I slashed the orb with Sabit…

 ***VVVMMM***

Somehow, it made the sound like how they would swing a light saber in the air. Surprisingly, the orb dissolved! There's no indication that it's been absorbed, or even slashed into two. Well, except that I felt something the moment after it slashed. It's just… gone.

"Yanto, look at your right hand!"

Hearing Reimu's words, I conceded and found that the earlier orb's floating near the point of the sword, much to ours surprise. A second after that, it finally vaporized into nothingness.

"Interesting-ze…" muttered Marisa. "The size and the energy seems similar to the one before you absorbed it."

"Did you feel anything?" asked the miko, walking closer to us.

I put my hand on my chin in thought. I tried to recall the sensation I felt earlier. "Hmm… it's like, how do I put it… my body feels like it's been, 'filled' by something… that 'thing' just flowing from my left hand, into my upper torso, then onto my right hand."

"Maybe it's the flow of energy. Did you feel the heat? I mean, it is heat magic after all-ze." asked Marisa.

I widened my eyes in realization. "Now that you put it that way, yeah… it did feel a little warm."

We experimented a couple more times after that. First, Marisa tried to make me absorb bullets made with other types of magic. The result isn't very satisfying. Other than I didn't amplify the energy, it turns out that every energy has different 'feel' into them, which I couldn't really describe that well. Water-based bullet felt, I don't know… watery? It's like there's an undescribed viscous substance running through my body. Other than that, light magic feels mostly the same with a heat-based one. Maybe because they're actually the same thing?

Reimu once tried to make me absorb an ofuda bullet. The result is that it simply ripped in two when contacted with my karambit. Marisa said that she noticed a red glow on my keris the moment after they touched by each other. Other than that is another weird feeling I can't describe. Mia, after she came to the porch while brought a tray of teas, theorized that maybe my weapons can only absorbs energy-based bullet. That could describe the glow and the feelings earlier. It means that I may not have any advantage when faced with an enemy that uses object as their main weapon, such as Reimu, Sakuya or Youmu.

Next, we theorized that maybe the weapons could store energy. The result is also mostly unsatisfying. Most bullets were released mostly a second or more after it contacted with Sabit. I once tried to, uh, 'hold' the energy within, as per Marisa's suggestion. The most I could do is roughly 5 seconds. Maybe it could be extended by training, but I decided to try it some other time.

After that, we tried if I could change the energy I stored into another types of bullets. As per their instructions, I simply 'imagined' the type of bullets I desired to come out. Luckily, I was able to change Reimu's white-reddish bullet orb into a red pellet-type, and Marisa's yellow star into a yellowish laser. It seems that the speed of bullet that came out is the same when it gets absorbed, but further testing might be needed.

We decided to postpone the testing to another day because it's already time for lunch. I still couldn't believe just how much time had passed because of the testing. After that, we – minus Mia, of course – flew away to meet the one who could come up with a solution for my flight problem.

"So…" I asked, "…where is this 'she', as in the one who have the solution, lives?"

"She's been living on the foot of the Youkai Mountain, along with her bunch." answered Marisa. "Though, I won't give you the exact location to you. It won't be a surprise anymore if we do-ze."

I shrugged. "Like I said, I may be well informed, but I'm not a know-it-all." then, a realization came into my mind. "Though, if we're talking about 'Youkai Mountain's foot', there's only one person that comes into my mind."

"Hmm… is that so? Then, what's your best guess?" asked Reimu.

I smirked. "Let's just say that this 'person' likes to deal with stuff from the outside and makes invention out of it. A sort of geek, if you ask me."

The two looked at me, seemingly unsurprised by my guess, then let out a collective sigh.

"Seems the cat's been out of the box, huh-ze?" said Marisa.

"Seriously Yanto, you're too smart in this kind of thing. Maybe Keine's history lesson started to rub in you, huh?" commented Reimu.

"Nah Reimu, you should've said 'Keine's lesson started to _rub one out of you_ -ze." said Marisa.

The three of us started to laugh, obviously because of the dirty jokes.

"Okay, okay, stop it with that joke." I answered, still wheezing. "Even I'm not that perverted."

* * *

A couple minutes later, we arrived in some kind of settlement near a ravine. There are no houses, instead there are numerous caves on the walls of the ravine. If you try hard enough, you could hear some noises of something's been fixed coming from the inside of the cave.

Around the settlement, walked a dozen or more women – or girls, I'm not sure – all wearing the same kind outfit while mending their own business. Some of them fishing, some carried stuff, and some looked like they had nothing to do. Surprisingly, most of them looked averagely short, a little below Marisa, but taller than Remilia or Flandre.

"Is this the place?"

"Yep." answered Reimu. "This is the Genbu Ravine, home of the kappa. You could even said that it's their village."

" _So, my guess was right, huh…"_ I thought.

Marisa, after talked with one of the kappa, comes back to us. "They said that her home's over there." she said while pointed back with her thumb. "Let's go-ze."

We walked for at least another five minutes. Some of the kappa looked at us with interest before going back to their own stuff. Luckily, no one freaked out or gets too shy when we made an eye contact. Finally, we came upon a cave which at least one-half times bigger than the others. It is located near a relatively small waterfall, which walls are covered with numerous blue pipes of unknown purposes. There's no visible door on it. Instead, the entrance were covered with a simple drape.

Just like at the Kourindou, the two just barged in, doesn't even bother to make themselves known to the owner. Out of obligation, I decided to "Sorry for intruding…" in case someone's been inside.

The inside is, for the most part, poorly-lighted. There're no windows whatsoever that could be used as a source of light. If I squint harder, maybe I could detect some electronics scattered around inside. At the end of the cave, was a girl which resembles the kappa outside. She's using a table lamp to help herself see the small objects she's been mending on.

Marisa uses this opportunity to sneak behind the girl, tapped her shoulder and surprised her.

"Boo."

"AIIIEEEHH! FOR THE GLORY OF GABEN, OUR LORD AND SAVIOR!" she shouted. The girl panted heavily before she looked at her back. "Marisa, what the heck?!"

The witch grinned sheepishly. "Hehe, sorry-ze. Just thought that it'll be fun, so I just sorta' do it, you know."

"I found the switch!"

*CLICK*

Shortly after, the room's filled with artificial lighting coming from a bulb on top of our head. Makes me wonder where the electrics from. I blinked a couple times to readjust my eyes. It turns out that the room's even messier than I thought. It resembles a warehouse more than a regular cave. There are some tables with stuffs scrambled on top of it. Some even scattered near the walls.

Standing near Marisa, is a girl which resembles the kappa from the outside. She has blue hair which tied into twin tails with hairbands that resembles two red marbles. Her eyes were also blue-colored. Her clothing's similar with the kappa outside, with a short-sleeved blue dress of a different shade than her hair and eyes. The shirt band is white, while the skirt has a lot of pockets around it. She also wears a green hat with white symbol that slightly resembles a tadpole.

She is the Super Youkai Warhead, Kawashiro Nitori.

"Seriously, you could use some real lighting once in a while." commented the miko. "A short-sighted kappa wouldn't be funny to look at."

"…and you shouldn't just barge in to someone's house too, you know." the kappa sighed, exasperated. "Seriously, Reimu, I think you hang out with Marisa too-EEEK!"

Suddenly, she shrieked after she looked at me. Quickly, the kappa took a defensive state behind Marisa. She pointed her fingers at me. "W-Who's that?"

I just chuckled at her behavior. "I'm sorry if I startled you." I smiled, took a quick bow and introduce myself. "My name's Yanto Bahar, an Outsider. Though, currently I'm working as the village's math teacher."

I don't really like to boast about my occupation, though. It's just that I thought that I could convince her that I'm not a bad person by doing that.

The kappa, still looks hesitant, said "K-Kawashiro Nitori, a-an engineer."

"Hey Nitori…" called Marisa, "…did you remember the guy I talked to you a couple days ago? Y'know, the one that lives in the shrine-ze."

"The…guy?" questioned the kappa. She pondered about it a little before she beamed at me in realization. "OH! So that means you're the one who's gonna be the test bunn-UUMMMPPHH!"

Wait… "Test… what?"

"I-It's nothing, it's nothing-ze. What she meant, is… um… customer! Yep, a customer! Isn't that right, Nitorin?"

The kappa finally managed to get free from the witch's hand. "PUAH! Just when did you actually wash your hands, Marisa?!" she yelled. "*sigh* Fine, fine, a customer will do. Back to the topic…" she gazed at me. "…is it true that you need a solution with your flying problem?"

I nodded, didn't really care about the scene earlier. "Yep. To tell you the truth, I don't have enough spiritual or magical energy in order to fly. Reimu said that she asked Marisa to find the solution, and I guessed that you have it?"

She nodded understandingly. "We do have some in the back. Then, follow me."

* * *

I was surprised to see that there's a secret hatch on the back of the cave. It goes deeper underground, at least two meters down. We have to use a ladder, much to the girl's inconvenience. After that, we walked for another 15 meters before we came upon a steel door. In the middle of it is a red button.

"So, what's with the secrecy?" I asked.

"This is where I did some of my advanced invention. Well, I didn't want a certain 'reporter' to know the place. If this gets to the higher ups, there's no doubt that they'll do some massive investigations all over the ravine. We are, after all, one of the lower ones in the mountain's hierarchy."

"Still, I think this is too much for a simple invention. Why don't you just use that camouflage-thingy you own?" suggested Reimu.

"Because…" she answered, "…if some normal human like you could see through it, there's no doubt that the tengus can see it too. Though, I hope that you don't say anything about this to anyone, Yanto-san. Even if kappas and humans are swore friends, I won't hesitate to silence you by force, just in case."

I nodded. "You can count on me. My lip is glued."

The kappa nodded, then pushed the button. With a loud ***PING*** , suddenly some things just dropped out of nowhere in front of her.

"Whoa!" I said, surprised.

"What…" mumbled Reimu.

"…the heck's that?!" continued Marisa, yelled.

" **PLEASE PUT YOUR HANDS ON THE SCANNER."** said a synthetized voice.

I noticed that on her left is some kind of finger print detector. The kappa did just as instructed, then the voice said **"SCANNING COMPLETE. PLEASE GIVE YOUR NAME AND PASSWORD."**

"Kawashiro Nitori, Super Youkai Warhead. 10-3, 11 M-C, 13.5, 14.5."

" **SCANNING COMPLETE. PLEASE COME IN. GOOD AFTERNOON, MISTRESS NITORI, AND GOOD DAY."**

" _Okay… that's a little too much."_ I thought.

When the door opened automatically, we surprised to see that we're in some kind of big bunker. It looks far more advanced and had more weird stuff than the upper ground, even if it's still messy. Imagine if Tony Stark had a playground. But this Tony Stark is not a human, and not that rich. I looked to my left and noticed something weird.

" _Panzerkampfwagen? Damn, this is going too far!"_

"I take me opinions back. This is not just some simple invention." said Reimu.

"Heck…" muttered Marisa, still dazed over the size of the place. "…you could give Pache a run for her money-ze!"

We walked to one side of the bunker, to one of the table there is. On top of it lies a peculiar looking metal belt with red dots as its head.

"This is my invention no. 29, called the Anti-Gravity Belt, or AGB in short. Try to put this on." she said while handing me the belt.

While I'm putting it, Marisa asked "So, how does it work?"

"Well…" Nitori said, "…the mechanic's too hard to explain, so I'm just gonna tell you the principles. Basically, the earth has two gravitational pole, which is the North and South. What the AGB do is just makes another field around the user to counter-act the gravity on earth."

"So it's just like when you met two magnets with the same pole together?" asked the witch again.

"Sort of." the kappa shrugged.

" _Man, you could get a Nobel Prize just because of that!"_

"Wait, what's this?"

We glanced to the source of the sound. There, Reimu's looking at a noticeable red button hanging from the ceiling.

"Oh, that… it's my invention no. 13, called "The Happy Button". I made it to relieve my stress once in a while, but never used it until now. Just try it if you want."

I sweat-dropped at the choice of naming and purpose. Before I said anything, however, the miko just pushed the button out of a whim.

 ***PING***

* * *

The same time, in the tengu village, at a certain tengu's house. There, the owner of the house was seen sitting on a couch while scribbling on a note. On a table on her right, is a cup of ice tea.

"*yawn* I can't believe I have nothing to do for today…" mumbled the owner.

"Hmm… what should I get for the next headline?" she pondered. "Besides the new teacher, there's hardly any things going on these days…"

She pondered a little more, before she beamed. "I know! I'll just make another gossip around him and Rei-"

 ***BOOM!***

"-eh?"

That day will be remembered by the tengus and other mountain dweller as "The Reporter's Karma."

* * *

"Wow…" I said, "…somehow I fell… refreshed…"

"Me too." confessed Reimu. "It feels like a weight just lifted from me, like someone just cleansed my heart. It's feels… nice…"

"I don't feel anything, actually. But somehow I get super happy today-ze!" grinned Marisa.

"Ah, that feels good…" muttered Nitori. "…anyway, let's get back to the topic. Yanto-san, try to push the red button on the head of the belt."

I looked down and reached for the head. Without thinking, I pushed it down.

"Wait, Yanto, don't-"

 ***VOOOM!* *CRASH!***

"…ow… that f*ckin' hurts…"

I was taken by surprise when the belt suddenly flew me up, crashing onto the ceiling.

"Ouch, that's definitely gonna leave a mark-ze." commented Marisa.

"Shut up and get me down already…" I pleaded, a little scared because of the height.

After Marisa helped with her broom, I quickly took off the belt.

"I think it's still needs some improvement, Nitori-san." I said while I handed her the belt.

"Hmm… actually, I haven't put the control mechanism, but let's try that later. Over here…" she walked away, didn't really care about it, followed by the girls.

"What? There's a control mechanism?!" I surprised. "Hey, wait!"

We arrived at another end of the bunker. There's a bulge covered with a white fabric, just like a car on a motor show. The kappa asked the witch to help her remove it.

"Ladies and gentleman, may I present to you, one of my greatest invention yet…" she started, then pulled on the fabric.

"…The Nitori Jetpack!"

I was anticipating something great when she said that. Instead, what's on a display beneath the fabric makes me raised an eyebrow.

"…a backpack?"

True enough, it looks just like another ordinary black backpack. It's even smaller than what I own.

"No, a Nitori Jetpack." she answered haughtily.

"It looks just like your bag back on the shrine, Yanto." said Reimu.

"No, no, no. You guys haven't seen it all. Yanto san, try to wear the jetpack along with the belt."

I complied her order and put it all on. "Okay, so now what?"

She reached to one of her pocket. Then, she handed me a black cordless earphone with white button in the middle of it.

"Put this on your right ear. It's the control mechanism, using your brainwave to control where you're going. After that, push the white button."

While I put it on, her hand reached to the belt. "The belt functioned as your levitator, it makes sure that you stay up even though you don't have any energy to fly. Then the backpack…" she trailed and reached the backpack's right shoulder strap. There, she pushed a blue button.

 ***FWIP***

"Whoa!"

"…used so that you could move around."

I was surprised to see that a pair of metal wing, at least a meter long, just sprouted from the side of the bag. It looks just like a passenger plane's wings, though smaller. Marisa came to me while bringing a big mirror.

"Look at your back-ze."

True enough, from the front side of the backpack sprouted two big cylinder that resembles an upside-down nitrogen tank, along with two nozzles that resembles a rocket's. Over and all, it looks neat.

But, there's something weird.

"Nitori-san, if this button on the right is the on button…" I glanced to the left shoulder strap, "…then what's this red button on the left?"

"Oh, that… that's the self-destruct button."

.

.

.

"""WHAT?!""" shouted the three of us.

"Why the heck did you need a self-destruct button-ze?!" asked Marisa, confused.

"Huh? Of course you need a self-destruct button."

"NO, WE DON'T!" shouted Reimu.

"It won't be an invention if it doesn't have a self-destruct switch."

"YES IT DOES! NOW PUT IT OFF BEFORE I STUPIDLY PUSH IT AGAIN!" I yelled, pleaded.

* * *

After a little, um, 'negotiation' with Nitori – plus some yelling, shouting and pleading – she decided to remove the button, along with the self-destruct mechanism. It's already '15.33' based on my watch, so we're already here for at least one and a half hour. The three of us now seated in a green sofa, watching Nitori do her things while we took a sip of our tea. I seated in the middle of the two.

"Hey girls…" I called them, "…I just wanna ask. Between speed and agility, which is better for a danmaku battle?"

"Huh? Of course it's speed-da ze." answered Marisa. "Combine it with firepower, you got yourself an indestructible force!"

"No, no." rejected Reimu. "Obviously agility is better. After all, you need to weave out of spell cards and such. Also, it would be better if you could use a homing bullets to hit your opponent more precisely."

"Nah, Reimu, you got it all wrong again. Obviously speed and power are better." Marisa countered.

"Nu-uh. Agility and homing are the one who'll help you win."

"Speed and power!"

"Agility and homing."

"Power!"

"Homing!"

"POWER!"

"HOMING!"

"OKAY, OKAY, STOP!" I widened my arms to silence the two. "Seriously girls, it's no time to brawl over it."

" _Sheesh…"_ I thought, _"…what I ask is between speed and agility, not power and homing!"_

"It's done!"

We looked over to see Nitori waved her hand, asked us to come over. After I put it all on again, Nitori pushed the button again.

"Okay, it's on." she said. "How do you feel?"

I shrugged. "Apart from feeling the weight, it's mostly normal."

"Okay then. Now, try to imagine yourself levitate. Not fly, just levitate."

I nodded at her instruction. I tried to do the same as when I flew the first time in Yukari's gap. The result was I floated slowly until I reached at least a meter up.

"W-Whoa…" I surprised, still unused with the wobbly sensation. "…this is awesome!"

"NOW DON'T PANIC." said Nitori over a megaphone. "NOW TRY TO FLY REAL SLOWLY. DON'T PUT TOO MUCH POWER INTO IT."

"Okay." I gave them a thumb. With a little command with my head, the engine started to sound like a flamethrower. I surprised that I actually flew a little faster than I thought.

" _Neat! Feels like riding a motorcycle, only cooler!"_

After the testing inside, Nitori requested me to do a test run outside, to see how fast and agile it could go. The other kappa already waited enthusiastically outside, leaving their works to see Nitori's latest invention being tested. Some even cheered on us.

Marisa, being Marisa, decided to make it more exciting by borrowing the megaphone from Nitori.

"COME AND WATCH, LADIES AND KAPPAMAN! ONE OF THE MOST AWESOME THINGS HAPPENED ON THIS CENTURY! HERE IS: THE FLYING JETMAN!"

I face-palmed. That was too lame for me to comprehend. Surprisingly, they cheered even more.

"Are you ready, Yanto-san?" asked Nitori. She's wearing a headphone which connected to another earphone on my left ear. "If you want, you could back up right now."

"I already told you guys: I was never ready my whole lifetime. I just blast the bullsh*t in front of me and get away with it somehow." I shrugged.

"I'll follow you on the back, just to make sure you're doing fine." said Reimu.

I pushed the button, and the engine started.

 ***VROOM!***

 **[BGM Start: Senya – Kachou Fuugetsu]**

I took a ready state. Slowly, I floated upward using the belt, until I'm at least 5 meters from the ground. Then, with a command from my head…

 ***VOOM!***

…I fly.

"Hey, wait!"

I took my time to fly along the edge of the ravine. Shortly after, I came upon forest.

"Okay, let's see what you got!"

I slowed down a little, then waved between the trees. I make sure to not making any sharp bends so that I won't loss any speed. I was lucky that my time in the game really paid off. After I had enough, I ascended through the lush tree top.

"Wow…"

What I saw is a breathtaking view of Gensoukyou in evening. The sky's orange, illuminating the ground calmly. From afar I could see the series of mountain range. I glanced at my back and noticed the Youkai Mountain.

" _That's my destination!"_

I tried to fly faster than before, under the pretense of testing the limit of the machine. My adrenaline flowed, pumping my heart in sheer excitement. I could feel the wind fluttered my hair. I decided to go faster.

 ***VOOM!***

The jet engine slowed down as I rotated around the Youkai Mountain. To be safe, I made sure that I flew far enough from the mountain so that the people there won't notice me. I managed to take at least three turn before I stopped to marvel the scene before me.

I noticed that I actually high enough to see almost all of Gensoukyou. I saw a lake from my left and a red dot on its side, which I assumed is the SDM. Further to the right, is a hill which might be where Hakurei Shrine is. In the middle of them is the Human Village.

I was happy, extremely happy. I never noticed how amazing it is when I sit on the broom. But, after experiencing it on my own, it actually looks more…

"Amazing, isn't it?"

I looked to my left, to see the resident border youkai, sitting calmly on one of her gap. She carried her parasol, slowly rotating it on her right hand.

"Gensoukyou is the land I helped to create and protect. It is one of my dream, to make a place where anything could happen in it. A place where youkai, human, and other kinds of living being could have the same chance to live."

She glanced at me with a smile. "I will protect it, even if it's the last thing I do."

I noticed the seriousness in her tone, in her face, in everything. I glanced back at the evening sky.

* * *

"That man's going too fast!"

Just a minute ago, I was getting far behind him when I tried to follow him. After getting out of the forest, I glanced left and right to see just where did he went, until I noticed a grey blur near the Youkai Mountain.

"That's him!"

Shortly, after I released my full speed, I managed to get closer to him.

"*pant* *pant* Damn it, could you just slow down? I-Yukari? What're you doing here?"

I was surprised to see her sitting near him. She just smiled and waved when she saw me. It appears that he doesn't aware of me just yet.

"You know…" he trailed while releasing the communication device. "…Touh- I mean, Gensoukyou, had already saved me from my depression a couple years ago. It is one world that I could actually love, that I actually care about."

He turned to Yukari. A serious expression plastered on his face. "Gensoukyou belongs to all of us. Even if I once an Outsider, I will protect it. I will put my life on the line, if it means that this land, this world and its inhabitants could be save."

 **[BGM Fade]**

* * *

 **Phew, I can't believe I finished it this fast. Maybe because of my free time before the finals?**

 **Not much I could say about this chapter, actually. Only some weapon testing, and Yanto finally gets a way to fly. You might get the reference from the title. Also, I finally got the scene to put a BGM. Hope it doesn't feel too weird.**

 **By the way, I got the inspiration for the 'self-destruct' joke from a Touhou doujin, called Super Speed Starters by Karaage Tarou. You should try it, it actually makes me laugh a couple times over.**

 **The next chapter – which hopefully finished around July, considering the time I start writing – might be the start of the climax of the story. Though, it would still attain its slice-of-live feeling. Will Yanto finally meet her sister? Who knows? Action and such might have to wait in the climax.**

 **On a side note, please review if you have any good ideas about anything, or if there's something bugging your mind.**

 **Until next time, then :v**

 **Oh, and cheer up! I might put an epilogue next chapter!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer : Touhou and all its characters are belonged by ZUN** **and Team Shanghai Alice** **. I only own my OCs and this story. Any similarities on any parts of the story with another fanfic are unintended.**

 **Chapter** **10 : To Uncover One's True Self**

* * *

Greetings, Ladies and Gentleman. My name is Izayoi Sakuya, the Perfect and Elegant Maid. In this particular chapter, I will be the one who narrate the story until the end. The reason, is because the story itself revolves around my personal Point of View. Though, there would be one or two occasions where the POV change in order to understand the story deeply.

Without further ado, let us continue. The time right now, is '15.10'. In order to understand the situations deeper, we have to go back in time. Approximately two and a half hours ago…

* * *

"Umm… Sakuya-san?"

"Yes?"

Today is Sunday. The time, according to my pocket watch, is '12.30'. Because the Little Mistress suddenly requested an Omurice for dinner, I decided to do an afternoon shopping in the village's market. On top of that, I needed to meet the teacher to receive her words of acceptance.

Right now, I was standing in front of the gate, accompanied with Meiling. She rested her bodies on the wall while I stood on her side, waiting for her words.

"I-It's nothing, actually. I was just wondering…" she said while gazing at the sky,"…remember what I told you yesterday? About Yanto-sensei?"

Ah, that… "You mean… the part when he held your head so hard, you can't even turn it back?" I asked.

She nodded slightly. "Well, you see… I think I know why. It's still a little vague to me, but I think he had some training before."

I raised an eyebrow. "Training, as in…"

"A Martial Art training." She answered. "I didn't see it at first, to be honest. His demeanor, his way of act, nothing even whispered that he's one. Even his body doesn't look that trained. But, that grip isn't one a normal people should have. There must be something behind it, and that's the only thing I could think of."

That is a very possible explanation. But, Meiling forgot another possibilities, which is him not actually a human, or at the very least not entirely. Though, there's no method available for us to know for sure, so all of this were still speculations.

I closed my eyes and crossed my arms. "Hmm… that is one plausible answer. I forgot to tell you yesterday, but he actually managed to graze through one of my knife which I aimed to his face."

She gasped. "Are you serious? That's hard, even for me!"

I sighed, then opened my eyes. "Moreover, he also blocked another one I threw later on with his sword. His move is surprisingly natural, I couldn't guess if it's instinctive or not."

Meiling's jaw dropped like a fish. Then, she slumped her body to the wall. "Man… suddenly I wanted to have a spar with him."

I chuckled. "What… is it because you finally find another martial artist in Gensoukyou? Moreover, he's a male, so…"

She blushed, understanding my words. "I-It's not that, Sakuya-san! Geez, you tease! Just because I wanted to have a spar with him, doesn't mean that I interested in him!"

I laughed a little. Too easy to tease, Meiling is. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. As an apology, how about I made something special for your dinner? How about Omurice, seeing Little Mistress wanted it as well, hmm?"

She pouted. "Make it Ultra Special, then I'll forgive you!"

*chuckle* I don't know who's actually the little girl here. "I'll make everyone's the same."

* * *

The trip to the village was surprisingly calm. I haven't found any fairies or youkais that hinder my flight either. Today, I've finished most of my duty aside from making dinner, so I suppose I could took my time and relax for the day. On occasion, I tried to suppress my yawn once or twice. I think I need some rest.

Actually, Mistress tasked me with one last matter to deal with after I've done in the village. This particular matter requires me to interact first-hand with the new teacher. As such, I needed to go to the shrine to meet him.

To be perfectly honest, my mind as of late has been filled with that man. Allow me to tell you that I have no interest in him whatsoever. It's just that what happened two days ago still lingers in my head. When he blocked my knife, when he taught Little Mistress and how she got attached to him that quick, added to the fact that Mistress is interested in him, made him more mysterious than before.

Then, there's the part of him that is searching for his sister.

" _To tell you the truth, I'm not hoping anything at all. If I somehow got lucky, then thank god. If I don't, well, I don't really care anyway."_

…is it really fine for him to say that? What would his sister think then? Will she be happy, having a brother with that attitude? Does she really deserve to be with him, or does she deserve better?

Instinctively, I rubbed the bridge of my nose. What are you doing, Sakuya? You don't have to think about that. It's none of your business!

*sigh* I should make haste.

* * *

"He… found his sister?"

Immediately after I finished with the groceries – I only need a couple potatoes, so I could hid it in my hammer space – I headed straight to the village's school. Keine mentioned it before that she often stay at her office at the weekend to finish her job so it won't pile up. I figured that if I walk here first, I might reduce the time I spend.

At the moment, Keine explicating her moment with Yanto a couple hours ago. She sat at one of the chair while I'm on the sofa.

"To be exact, his younger female cousin. He explicitly said that the two of them are not siblings. Though, I'm a little curious as to why he doesn't want to address her as his little sister." She wondered while holding a tea cup.

Interesting. So, aside from her little sister, his cousin was also stranded here in the same week as him. That is too low of a chance to be called a coincidence. I realized that it could only mean one thing.

'She' is involved in it, one way or another.

"Well, it could be that he doesn't want to leave any confusions to anyone." I reasoned.

"Wait, what do you mean by 'confusions', Sakuya?" she asked.

I pondered a little, should I tell her or not? Would it have any effects whatsoever? After realizing that it won't change anything significant, I decided my next course of action.

"Hmm… I only knew a little from my observations, but to tell you the truth…"

I began to explain with what little informations I obtained from observing him three days ago, added with some more I obtained from Reimu and Marisa. Unfortunately, the two of them didn't want to cooperate well even with the amounts of pressure we put, so we could only obtain so much.

"*gasp* He… lost his younger sister? How come?!" asked Keine.

"I wanted to know as well. Sadly, he didn't seem to care about this matter that much, and didn't make any effort to solve it either."

His words that day keeps ringing in my head. I tried to forget it, but it doesn't seem to work. Lucky that Keine didn't notice anything.

"Oh my, that was…" she paused, a thoughtful look plastered on her face. A short while after that, she shook her head before she continued "…no, I don't think that's right. I'm sure that he actually care for her, even with how much he denied about it."

"What makes you think of that?" I asked, before I took a sip of my tea.

"Call it an intuition." She answered. "A teacher is a job that needs full commitment. To accept a teacher's job in Gensoukyou, means that he shouldn't have much tie with the Outside world for a long time, even if he's just a supplementary."

She put her cup down on the table.

"That faced me with the conclusion that he doesn't have much relation with the Outside, especially his family. It could also means that he doesn't have any families there anymore. Therefore, having a possible blood-relation exist here should gave him some light in his heart."

I frowned a little. "I'll have to admit that is plausible, but I couldn't help but think that your theory is too far-fetched. On top of that, we still don't have any strong evidence to draw any conclusions. It is also plausible that he actually forsaken his family out there and there is no way for us to know. There is too much variable for us to calculate."

"That is true and also highly possible, and I'll admit that what I said is just a made-up theory." She admitted. "But even with all that, I still believe that he's not that kind of person. I'm sure of it." She added with a smile. "Think positively of a person once in a while won't hurt, right?"

I don't understand. What is it with her? How can she put so much trust on a person she only met a week ago, an Outsider nonetheless? That was just absurd in my opinion. But then again, that person was able to befriend Little Mistress in a mere minutes, plus attracted Mistress's interest before the two even met, so I think I shouldn't be surprised.

Rather, I should be cautious around him.

"Also, Sakuya, can I ask you a favor?"

I blinked, exiting my musing. "Yes, what is it?"

"You see, Hieda-san with my help had taken a list of Outsiders which have stranded here and decided to stay, along with the original resident. I'm pretty sure that if Yanto-sensei's sister had stranded here, she should've been written on that list. As such, if you meet him on your way back, could you ask him to meet me here?" she asked.

The child of Miare… I'm sure that I've been written on that list as well.

I gave her a curt nod. "I'll be sure to pass him your note."

* * *

The talk in Keine's office was rather short. The main idea was she accepted Yanto being Little Mistress's personal math teacher, along with helping Little Mistress at some other subject she finds hard. Keine even encouraged him when he became unsure with teaching Flandre-sama. In the end, that man doesn't have any choice but to accept.

I took my note to see the list of things to do today. Buy groceries… check. Talk to Keine-sensei… check. Housework etc. etc… check. It seems that I've done for today, so I could-

"Phew, that was a go~od workout-ze!"

Suddenly, I heard a familiar voice coming from my far right. There, I spotted one familiar figure and one not-quite-familiar-yet landing in the middle of the empty road.

"Wait, how's that a workout?"

Instinctively, I hid myself behind the school building. Immediately I examined the two of them thoroughly. Marisa was wearing her dark-blue magician outfit, while Yanto was in his grey-black one. The only difference was that currently he didn't wear his hooded sweater. Also, on his back is a pair of metallic wing-like structure with two long cylinders attached to it. It seems that he's found a method to fly on his own.

"I mean, you didn't even move a muscle back then. How could you call that a workout?" he asked. While he does that, his hand reached to a button on his right pectoral. Suddenly, the wings and the cylinders transformed into a black bag. I suspected that he obtained it from the kappa.

"Well, y'know… magic, flying, broom, speed, the stuff… does that ring a bell?"

"Ah, right… sorry 'bout that. But anyway, how's my flight earlier?"

"Hmm… so-so, I guess. Need some improvement in speed an' agility."

"That's like improving in everything… damn."

Slowly but surely, I followed the two of them from behind. Occasionally, I stooped the flow of time in order to find the better hiding spot. Of course, I made sure to pay a heed on the distance between us.

"So, where're we goin' today?" asked Marisa.

"Hmm… you know what? Let's go there. I think we might find something interesting." Answered Yanto while pointing at a direction.

Shortly after, the two of them arrived at the market place.

"Hey Yanto, what're we lookin' for here? I mean, didn't you finish the groceries this morning?"

"…"

"Yanto, did you hear me-ze? Yanto?"

"…"

He kept silence through the ordeal.

"Oi, Yanto! What're yo- WHA?!"

"*gasp* Oh my…"

Suddenly, he pulled Marisa into a tight hug! Even some of the villagers were surprised.

"W-W-Wait, Yanto! Don't do it he- …eh?"

The hug lasted for at least 10 seconds. After a couple moments, he released his grip on her body. Then, he grabbed her wrists and sprinted to a nearby alley. Strange as it seems, Marisa didn't show any sign of resistance.

Wait… what am I doing, examining things from here? I have to follow them!

I rushed to the same alley. Luckily, the two were still on my sight. In the distance, they took a sharp left, which I followed. After I took the same turn, I was founded with a shocking result.

" _What? A dead-end?!"_

There's no sight of them. Just where are those two?

"Looking for someone?"

Upon hearing it, I quickly turned my body to the 6 o'clock direction. There, the two already waited for me with a suspicious look.

"I figured you'd follow us if we started running. Pretty simple trick, if you ask me." He said haughtily with his arms folded on his chest.

I focused my gaze on him. "How did you disappear?"

He gave me a shrug. "Well, you could just fly, you know."

I found the urge to face-palm myself. How stupid of me!

"Okay then Sakuya, start explainin'." Said Marisa. Her hakkero's in her right hand, while a card's on her left. She's taken a battle stance. "What's the big idea, followin' us here?"

I should make a comeback. "Why, I was just trying to prevent you from having an affair while the sun is still up. Was I wrong?"

As a result, the two of them blushed slightly. Well, Marisa's a little redder, actually.

"Why you… wanna start a fight-ze?"

I readied my knives and took my own stance. "If you insist."

"Wait, wait… not here." Said Yanto while holding down Marisa's hand.

"Hey, what now?!"

"Calm down a sec', will yah?!" He urged. "If you guys fight here, the results won't be good. After all…" he glanced slightly at his back, "…we've already got some audience."

True enough, around 10 villagers were already watching us curiously.

"Hey, hey, what're they doing?"

"I don't know… but looks like fun. Let's watch it."

"Oh god, that's the Devil's Maid!"

"Yeah, and that's Marisa-chan… with the new teacher?!"

"Yanto-sensei, isn't he? Is he strong?"

"Don't know… let's just watch."

"Mom… I wanna go pee-pee…"

"Just hold it in, okay? Or let it out on that corner over there."

"But Mom, I think a poop is coming out…"

"What?! Ugh, fine, let's go!"

Marisa mumbled. "Sh*t… now I can't use my full power!"

"Just hold on, Marisa-san…" said the male teacher. Then he gazed at me. "Sakuya-san, let's go to other secluded place."

* * *

As per Yanto's instructions, we found ourselves on an opening in the middle of the forest near the Hakurei Shrine's stair. We were forced to fly away from the crowd because the alley's clogged by the masses. He also wanted to avoid casualties, and most possibly suspicions, as much as possible.

The time, is '14.49'.

"Okay, I think now we're free of eyesight." Said Yanto after checking the surroundings. "Sakuya-san, if you'd start with your explanation?"

"Yeah, what's with following us around in the village?" asked Marisa. "An' no, we're not on an affair-ze!"

I almost chuckling out of reflect. "Then I will explain. Yanto-sensei, I was informed by Keine-sensei that she, along with Hieda no Akyuu, might have an information concerning your missing sister. As such, she urged you to come and meet her as soon as you have the time. I was told to pass this message to you."

"Hieda no Akyu…" He mumbled, processing the information for a while before he answered. "Thank you for that, actually. I think I know what she meant, but that'll be for another time. For now, what we wanna know is something else."

The diversion didn't work this time. I have no choice but to tell the truth. "To tell you the truth, I have another objective. This morning, Mistress Remilia tasked me with two important missions. First, observe the new teacher and uncover his true self. She wants to know your true behavior when you're not in your teacher's mask."

"So that's why you spyin' on us all 'round the village?" asked Marisa, which I nodded.

Yanto sported a thoughtful look. After a couple seconds, he let out a sigh. "Okay, okay, I think I understand. Sheesh… you guys and your weird way of handling things…"

"What was that?"

"N-Nothing at all. Continue on, I guess that wasn't your only objective, right?" he sweat-dropped.

"You're correct. The second one, is that Mistress do not want such a weakling sniffing the air in the Mansion, let alone lay his filthy hands on her sister." I explained. "As such, she tasked me to put you on a test."

"Huh? What kinda' test-ze?"

I pulled two of my knives and held it, each one in my hand. Instinctively, I smirked. "The only kind, of course."

* * *

" _Sh*t… we should've run when we get the chance!"_ I thought to myself.

Today's been pretty weird. First, Yanto asked me to accompany me to the village. Nothing's wrong with that, though. I know that he's unused to fly by himself yet, so I thought maybe he needs somebody to look after himself. What's weird is that he suddenly directed us to the market.

At first, I thought he forgot to buy an ingredient or something. Then I realized that we had our lunch, and he's prepared the stuff for dinner. When he suddenly h-h-hu… hugged me… he whispered something on my ear.

" _Don't look, but I think we're being followed."_

"… _eh?"_

" _Just follow me. If I somehow got rough, don't scream."_

I swallowed my spit. I thought someone hired an assassin of some sort to end my live because I took their stuff too much. Maybe it's Patche or Kourin, I guess…

…and no, I'm not stealing, I tell you. I'm just borrowing!

*cough* Anyway, he then grabbed my right wrist – thank god he wasn't forceful at all – and ran straight into a tight alley. I tried to glance to see the culprit.

" _Don't look back! Just keep running!"_ he ordered.

" _But why?! Who-"_

" _Doesn't matter who! If you do, then she… or he… will caught on our trick!"_

I blinked a couple times. I got it now. The trip to the market area, the hug, the run, all in order to distract the culprit. I was shocked to see him being this sharp. Almost out-of-character.

" _After that corner…"_ he pointed, _"…is a dead-end. After the turn, we have to…"_

…and that's how we got ourselves now. Sakuya already had her knives between her fingers, ready to attack. I also tried to reach to my hakkero, but Yanto held my hand before I had the chance.

"Sakuya-san…" he said, "…can't we use some other friendlier way?"

"Unfortunately, no. The Mistress's order is absolute."

Damn, that thick-headed maid! Maybe we could get away if we run fast eno-

"…huh?"

I was confused when I saw Yanto's eyes. It's not the one he used to have. Suddenly, I remembered the time when he found Mia's body. His eyes that time has the same sharpness than what he has now. I thought that he'll be chickened out and run away, but he… he got serious instead. I wonder what he will do next…

"*sigh* F*ck it."

H-Huh?

Ah, I get it… a little swearing to ease up some muscles, right? Then next, he'll do something aweso-

"God damnit… I wanna go home already…"

E-Eh? Another swearing?!

"Fine already." He shook his head. "The point is, you wanna fight, right?"

Sakuya nodded. "Yes, you could say that is the bottom line."

* * *

The aura around him changed. Did he finally become serious?

"Then, since you're the one asking for it, I'll be taking some liberty in putting my own rules. How's that sound?" he offered.

I raised an eyebrow. "And what would that be?"

He raised his right hand and started counting. "No flying, no using your time-space thingy, and no spell-card. Basically a normal swordfight… or knifefight, whatever you called it."

The point is, he wanted to make it an even ground to both of us, is it? "So, you think you could win with all those handicaps? And how should I know if you'll play fair?"

"Nah, I just don't wanna get stabbed with thousands of yours. And I don't have any spell-card yet." He explained. Then, he pulled out his sword and knife. "My basic ability actually came from this knife. It could absorb most type of energy you could think of, including magical bullets. Then I could release it as another bullet with this sword. Unfortunately. It's useless against object-type bullets like your knives. So I can't cheat even if I want to."

Interesting. I thought those were just toys he bought from Kourindou. I took a quick look at his weapons. The knife looks similar to a bird's claw, magnified tenfold. It could be used to yank me out of my footing or simply graze my body/clothing and leave a deep mark. However, the blade is too short, so in order to actually hit me, he have to close a fair distance between the two of us.

His sword has very intricate design. I could've mistaken it for a decoration if he didn't mention its ability. The way how its blade was shaped made me realize that he'll mostly thrust it to his opponent or to simply block my strike. Over and all, he is a very short-ranged fighter, similar to me if not for my throwing skills.

"O-Oy, Yanto…" nudged Marisa, while one of her hand was still being held by Yanto, "…you really sure about this? I mean, it IS Sakuya, you know. THAT Sakuya-ze?"

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Yeah, I do. What's the problem?"

"I mean the problem is you COULD and WOULD LOSE! Dammit, just reject it and let's run away! Or let me Master Spark her right now-ze!" she begged while struggling in his hand.

"Then what? She'll find another way to fight me with or without my consent. It's better to just finish this once and for all, winning or losing." He reasoned. A good one, if I should add. "Then again, I'm a professional homework procrastinator. I think it's time to lose that habit for good."

The witch gritted her teeth before she finally gave up. "Ugh, fine! Just be careful and don't kill yourself-ze!" she said as she walked away to give us a space.

"I won't, I won't." he assured her. "So, how about it, Sakuya-san?"

I took my stance, ready for attack. "Fair enough. The first one to get three slashes?"

He put away his bag, then took his own stance. "Cloth or skin?"

"Both counts."

"Good enough."

"Okay, I'll be the judge innit." Marisa volunteered. "When my hat touches the ground, you guys start fighting, okay?"

"Ready to be called a loser?" I taunted him.

He smirked. "Get yourself a mirror."

Marisa then tossed the hat into the air. The air became denser by the fractions of a second. I made an imaginary countdown in my mind.

3… 2… 1…

*FLOP*

We both dashed to each other. He started by a thrust with his sword, which I easily dodge by a dash to the side. He continued by trying to slash me several times. I parried it with my knives, then kicked him right in the middle of his abdomen.

"Ugh…" he hobbled back.

I begin my attack. First I tried to slash the part in his pectoral several times, but he managed to fend it all with his sword. Luckily his right side is free. A ripping sound was heard when my blade made its way to his shirt.

He dashed backward to put a distance between us.

"Damn…" he muttered while looking at a tear in his shirt. "…that was close."

"You let down you guard. A common mistake for a beginner." I advised him.

"Now I gotta ask someone to fix it for me later." He grumbled.

"Sakuya 1, Yanto 0!" Announced Marisa.

"Do you wish to continue?" I teased him.

He swiped a sweat on his neck. "Hell yeah."

Yanto sprinted at me while I waited attentively. His feet was fast, almost forced. He then pulled his left foot, ready for a kick. I took my chance by yanking his right foot…

"Wha-!"

…slashed his right arm and do a roundabout kick to his face. A loud sound was heard when he fell back to the ground.

"Ack!"

"Yanto!" shouted Marisa worryingly.

He slowly stood up. "That hurts…" he said while rubbing his cheek. It appears that he didn't care that much with his cut.

"…and that would be a score for me." I smiled. "Marisa?"

"A-Ah, right… "Sakuya 2, Yanto 0!" she shouted a little weakly.

His visage changed. It became harder than before. At that moment, I knew he was planning something, but I couldn't tell what it is.

Then again, it could be that he was getting furious. Maybe I should tone it down a bit, see if he could land a hit on me. After all, it was nothing but a test.

We sprinted to each other again, faster than before. I expected him to slow down when he became closer and closer to me.

He wasn't stopping.

I was forced to jump and did a somersault above him. He skidded his way to the other side while I make my landing.

I glanced back at him. "How foolish of you."

"Says the stupid one." He retorted while he stood back up. Suddenly, a loud announcement was heard.

"Yanto 2, Sakuya 2!"

What?! "H-How…"

He let out a victorious smirk. "Look down."

I was astonished to see two marks of tear on the lower part of my skirt, one is longer than the other.

" _So that's what he planned."_ I thought.

"You know, there's a saying on the internet which says…" he trailed, "…if it's stupid but it works, then it's not stupid."

"Come on Yanto, you can do it!" shouted Marisa. "Give her a good beatin'!"

" _This isn't good…"_ I mused. I planned to drag this fight long enough to see how keen he actually is. Instead, he dared to pull such ridiculous stunt on me. If he managed to hit one last score…

…no, I shouldn't thought of that. He just pulled one simple trick, is all…

"… _I think he had some training before…"_

…one simple trick… yes, I wouldn't lose… after all…

"… _I'm sure that he actually care for her, even with how much he denied about it…"_

…I have to…

"… _I don't really care anyway…"_

…uncover his true self!

* * *

"Reimu, the tea's ready!"

"Ah, thanks Mia. Do you need help to bring it here?"

The sun's almost set in Hakurei Shrine. Currently, there were only two people inside, which being the miko and the sword-wielding teen. They were having their leisure time, waiting for the witch and the new teacher to go back.

"No thanks. I think I can do it."

After she brought it to the middle room, she had a chat with the other only resident.

"Say, where did they say they were going to?" asked Reimu.

"Yanto said he wanted to test the Jetpack, and Marisa went along to look after him." Answered Mia. "I wonder what took them so long, though."

The red-clad miko didn't answer. A moment later, she offhandedly asked another question.

"By the way, have you checked our food supply?" she took her cup and have a sip.

"Did you forgot? Yanto already bought the groceries for another three days this morning. Why is it?" asked the teen.

"…nothing. I just felt that it'll be good to buy some more."

The teen raised an eyebrow. Is there a big discount tomorrow, she wondered.

* * *

My vision became hazy.

I couldn't remember anything after I sprinted. Even in this confusion, I could still feel a stinging pain somewhere on my face. It might leave a purple mark for some time later, I worried. Some of my muscles were also becoming sore.

I couldn't even remember who the winner is.

"…ya…"

Hmm…? Whose voice was that? Was it the doctor? Are you taking me to the future with your blue box?

"…u o…ay, …uya?"

After I thought about it, what if I lost? How should I tell the Mistress of my failure? How could I tell her a joke such as I lost from him just because…

…because…

"Sakuya!"

My eyes jolted open when I heard that voice. I could see a blurry image of a two woman. I readjusted my eyes, then found that it was the two incident resolvers.

"Yare-yare-daze… I thought you just kicked the bucket or somethin'." Marisa wiped her sweat.

"Are you joking? There's not even a scratch on her body. Ah, I mean… how do you feel?" asked Reimu.

I struggled to find my seating. My joints felt a little sore. "I-I'm fine, I just-"

"Just stay there for now, 'kay?" assured Marisa while she held my shoulders. I was forced to lay down. "I'll get you a drink-ze."

A drink? "Where… am I…?"

"The Shrine." answered Reimu. "Yanto said maybe he kicked you too hard in the stomach, hence making you lose consciousness. Don't worry about him. He's in the kitchen, preparing the dinner for us."

Unconsciously I touched my stomach. There's a stinging pain every time my hand pushed it slightly too hard. Added with my face, I assumed that it was his kick which made me lose consciousness.

I glanced the surrounding to find the truth in Reimu's words. Wooden ceiling, tatami floors, shoji walls… and I'm wearing a white robe. It appears that she's telling the truth.

Wait, dinner? Oh no…

"Wait, don't struggle!"

"I have to… go back… Mistress is…"

"Don't you worry with that, Sakuya."

That voice! "M-Mistress…!"

Slowly, with Reimu's help, I rose up and saw the Mistress by the sliding door. Her brilliant smile's still there like always. "That man's preparing some food for us too, so you don't have to overexert yourself."

"Which means that we really have to buy another groceries tomorrow." Grumbled Reimu.

"Ah, isn't that fine, Reimu. Just take it as some hospitality towards your long-time friends. By the way, Sakuya, how do you feel?" asked the Mistress.

"I'm fine, just a little sore." I answered, averting my gaze. I couldn't bring myself to face her because the dreadful feeling that I might failed her task.

What could I tell her? That I lost from a guy? An Outsider, even?! Ridiculous!

"Sakuya."

I was pulled from my musing by her words. When I realized it, she already sat beside me.

"Y-Yes?"

"I know what you're thinking. You don't have to worry about that fight, okay? Yanto and Marisa had described it all. I'm not angry at all."

Despite what she said, the feeling keeps creeping up my body. "B-But-"

"Sshh, don't say a word." She pressed her finger on my lips. "The doctor just went back earlier. She said you had minor fatigue. Don't tell me that you're pushing yourself with the chores lately?"

I looked away, unable to endure the embarrassment. "I-I'm really sorry, Mistress…"

"There is nothing for me to forgive, because there's nothing for you to apologize." She smiled. "You did your best, and that alone satisfy me more than anything could."

I was moved to tears by her proclamation. "M-Mistress…"

"Ah, I almost forgot."

Suddenly, Reimu took something from her sleeve and gave it to me. It was a silver knife with a blue handle.

"This is mine…" I muttered. "How…?"

"Yanto entrusted this to me earlier. He said sorry for hitting you too hard and told me to give it to you later when you're awake." She explained. "You're lucky you didn't have any blood dripping out of you, you know."

Dripping out? Blood? "You mean, I didn't bleed anywhere?"

"Not even a scratch. Some miracle, that is."

The Mistress reached to her back and showed me my uniform. She then showed the part where it was ripped. Two marks on the lower part of my skirt, and one on top of right shoulder part. Instinctively, I reached to where it should've bleed. I felt that something's missing.

"There's no mark?" I confused. A tear that wide should've leave at least a flesh wound. Unless…

"The dinner's ready."

By the door, a woman appears to be in her early 20's suddenly showed up carrying a tray of food and drink. She wears a blue-white outfit which resembles Yanto's slightly. Her long, orange-colored hair was tied into a ponytail.

"Reimu, Remilia-san, I've put your dish in the middle room with the others." She explained.

"Ah, much appreciated, Hanamia." Replied the Mistress.

"The others?" I asked, assuming that some other people were also joining in for the meal.

"*sigh* Yes, the others." Muttered Reimu, slightly annoyed. "Your Mistress just suddenly brought everyone from the mansion here out of her whim. I really don't know what I should do with tomorrow's breakfast anymore…"

"Everyone?" I asked, shocked. "Even the Little Mistress?!"

"Why yes, Sakuya." Remilia-sama answered. "But don't worry. That teacher and Meiling already handled her. You just rest here and enjoy your food, okay?"

I weakly nodded. "I will, Mistress…"

Shortly, the two left me and the woman alone in the room. She put the tray beside me, then continues to have a sit on the floor.

"Wait, shouldn't you have dinner with the others?" I asked.

She smiled at me. "I could have some after this. By the way, we haven't met before, right? I'm Hanamia Bahar. Though, you could call me Mia if you want. Everyone does."

Her arm advanced forward, a gesture of greeting among the Outsiders. I responded with one of my own. "My name is Izayoi Sakuya. Pleased to meet you, Mia-san, and thank you for taking care of me."

"Ah, no problem, really." She smiled sheepishly. "Also, if you're confused, yes. I'm Yanto's younger cousin. I'm also stranded here, the same as him."

"Well, your surname does ring a bell." I confirmed.

She then gave me the plate which I accepted whole-heartedly. Truth be told, I was feeling quite famished. The warm scent didn't help either.

It appears to be a fried rice, with a side dish consist of omelet and two pieces of cucumber. A rather simple and quick dish, but could become quite a delicacy if performed correctly.

"By the way, how's your body?" asked Mia. "Did you still hurt somewhere?"

"I'm just feeling a little sore in some part. Though, I'm improving as we speak." I smiled, assuring her.

"Thank god… I'm really sorry about what Yanto did. He couldn't hold himself back sometimes." she let out a sigh. "That stupid cousin…"

"That is fine, really." I sweat-dropped. "It was me who asked him for a fight, and I've bear the consequences. Though, could you help me describe what actually happened?"

"You didn't remember?" she raised an eyebrow.

"Unfortunately, no. It seems that I've had a blackout the moment before the fight ended." I explained, considering how I couldn't remember anything after he did that stunt.

"Hmm… What happened, huh…" she sported a thoughtful look. "Well, Yanto and Marisa didn't say anything about it too much, actually. The point is, Yanto guessed that his kick – either in your stomach or your face – made you unconscious."

"Is that so…" I mumbled. Might be better to ask him directly, I mused. "By the way, did he have any kind of training before? A Martial Art Training, for example?"

"Well, once or twice when he was younger. Though, I didn't know if he's still doing it or not." She mused. "What happened today might be the proof of it."

"How good is he?" I asked, since I couldn't confirm it much in the fight.

"So-So, I guess? I rarely saw him training as well. Then again, he's the type of person who doesn't like to show-off. He'll act all shy if you praise him even once. That's the sort of person he is."

A shy person, is it. I could use it against him in the future.

"But, I suggested that if you wanted to have a spar with him again, you'll have to be careful."

I blinked, confused. "Why is that?"

"That man could be surprising sometimes. The fact that he's holding a Keris and Karambit – that's the type of his sword and knife – instead of long sword, shield, or even a gun that could give him advantage in fight – be it spell-card battle or a normal one – should be an example."

Her face became more serious than before.

"He even accepted to fight with you – a woman he considered one of the strongest human here. He might be stupid sometimes. Well, most of the times, actually. But he knows exactly what he's doing. That, you have to be careful about."

* * *

 **Man, feels like killing myself after this.**

 **Typing, deleting, typing again, deleting again… I've lost track on how many times I've done that. Might be because I'm forcing myself to write from one specific POV. In the end, I have to slip another two in the middle. Even with the times I've used, this chapter still feels too short. Because of that, NormalMortal sincerely sorry.**

 **Now, let's get into the explaining part.**

 **I've told you that this chapter would be a start of the climax. But, I decided to postpone it because I felt that Yanto's still too under-powered. I'm planning to add his training in the next couple chapters or so before I could introduce the climax of the story.**

 **This chapter revolves around Sakuya trying to uncover Yanto's true self through her own method. I'm still a little unsure about the kind of language Sakuya use, so I tried to make it as formal as possible. Please tell me if I do something wrong.**

 **This is the first time I make a fighting scene. I'm still trying to make it as atmospheric as possible, while not to make Yanto looked too OP. Please bear with it.**

 **Why I didn't want him to be too OP? Because he's not. 90% of all Touhou cast is already too OP to begin with. The reason why Sakuya lost is also because of her not in her best condition. Not to worry, because I – might – put one or two occasions where he shines. While still looks stupid. Yep, stupid.**

 **Next chapter? I don't know. I haven't had any picture on what I should write. Expect the update to be a little longer because the college is starting, the homework is piling, while I'm struggling not to kill myself because of stress. Please leave a review if you have some interesting idea, or if you feel I should improve the chapter here and there.**

 **Until next time, then :v**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer : Touhou and all its characters are belonged by ZUN** **and Team Shanghai Alice** **. I only own my OCs and this story. Any similarities on any parts of the story with another fanfic are unintended.**

 **Chapter** **11 : To Understand a Girl's Heart**

* * *

It was not bode well with me. It was definitely not bode well with me AT ALL.

A maid was supposed to accompany her master/mistress on any occasions possible. Even if she couldn't, she should be on her Mistress's side at once, if her Mistress desired it. To protect and to serve, that is what a maid was supposed to do. No matter what circumstances that is, a maid have to appear flawless. Perfect and Elegant, yet amplifies her Mistress's Charisma. Becoming her shadow, her shield as well as her sword. And yet…

…and yet here I am, the proud Head Maid of the Scarlet Devil Mansion, savoring the dish made by my own enemy in a room separated from my Mistress, while she herself having a supper with my own enemy. It was almost as if I had failed as her maid. But, I have no choice. No matter how much I dislike it, Remilia-sama ordered me to take my rest. And yet… the worst part of it is…

"…it is decent…"

…admitting that my enemy's dish is eatable. Even worse, I couldn't help but finish it because my stomach would nut shut its trap up if I don't. Curse you, natural digestion of a human being. Curses!

*sigh* Calm yourself, Sakuya. It is an unsightly manner. Just rest your body for the time being and swallow the bitterness of a defeat. Yes… this is punishment enough for failing Mistress's task…

…wait a second. Nobody said I lost from him, not even once!

And if I thought about it, the tear in my shoulder part could not prove anything. It is highly plausible that I managed to tear him before he did the same to me. Yes, yes, there is a chance. I'll just have to prove it on him later on…

…later on…

…

" _You are planning to return? Why?"_

 _I looked questioningly at the woman who accompanied me. The woman forced me to eat my meal while she's watching attentively. Though, I knew she meant no harm whatsoever. Mia explicitly said that she didn't want my health to deteriorate, so she demanded me to finish it right off. Right now, she is tidying up the dish which I had finished, much to my disagreement._

" _*sigh* Yes, maybe… I don't know, the faster the better. But I've strengthen my resolve. I'm definitely going back. College is almost starting and I'm already healed, so I couldn't be here for too long."_

" _But, what about your cousin?" I asked, since it means I have to search for new teacher for Little Mistress, if he should return as well._

 _She looked away, pausing before she made an answer. "…I'm going back alone."_

 _It is a little vague to me, but I could see a tint of sadness hidden in her voice. I decided to be blunt._

" _You didn't look that resolved, if I'm allowed to add. Is there something on your mind?"_

 _Her façade harden at my words. As expected, she's definitely hiding something._

" _*sigh* You read through my face, huh…" she smiled in defeat. "It is true that I'm a little unsure in leaving him here alone. What with him unable to fend for himself at all."_

 _She gazed at the ceiling. "I've watched him over the times I'm injured and was forced to stay here. He has… changed, a lot. Socializing, making friends, smiling… I've never seen him this happy since 'that' happened. I thought maybe it's better if he stay after all."_

" _You mean… when his parent left him?" I asked carefully._

 _She answered with a nod. "You know, he almost became a loner that time, if not for my boyfriend's help. He – much to my disagreement, which I deeply regret – persuaded Yanto to study with him in a college far from home, in order to heal his heart. Despite that, he still locked himself in his room most of the time, only went out if he felt hungry. He has improved, regardless."_

" _That improvement spiked up the moment he lives in here." She continued. Her face brightened. "He almost become a completely different person. Talking, smiling, and even joking once in a while. *chuckle* Well, even if his joke's still dry and needs improvement."_

 _It soothe me how her smile became wider at the moment. Though… "Will you be fine, leaving him here?"_

 _Mia looked at me with a half-smile. "Well, if you talk about him, I guess he won't even care if I go back or not. He'll probably say things like "Marry each other already, and make me an uncle!" or something like that. As for me…"_

" _As for you?"_

 _She smiled sadly. "There's this kind of famous saying between teenagers in my country. '_ Cinta Tak Harus Memiliki _'. Loving someone doesn't mean that you should own him. My first thought of it was bullsh*t. I mean, for example, how can you still love another people's wife when you know you can't have her? *sigh* Apparently, I was just a child when I heard it."_

 _Tear started to fill her eyelid._

" _If I do care for him, then I shouldn't hold him back. He wanted to feel free, but that won't happen if I stay with him."_

 _She looked at me, the tear she held finally flowed down like a river._

" _I don't have a choice. As long as he's happy, then I'll be happy. It will be hard, or maybe even impossible to meet him again, but… I'll bear with it."_

…

I am… still surprised at how strong their bond is. It is as if the two of them are blood siblings.

I haven't known Yanto much to be able to predict his reaction upon hearing Mia's decision. Maybe he would force her to stay longer if he could. There is also a possibility of him decided to go back as well. That would raise some problem, since he still have the job as Flandre-sama's teacher.

Suddenly, I reminded by one of Patchouli-sama's reading. According to her, once a person from the Outside said that 'It is better to love and lost than to never have loved at all'. In my honest opinion, such is said by someone only to console another who have lost something once. They would have no way of knowing how it felt, only assuming based on observations and testimony. Such, they wouldn't even know what is better than the other.

Well, in my defense, neither do I. But, judging by what Mia said when Yanto lost his parents, compared to what will happen if she decided to leave, I assumed it would be unbearable for both parties to part from each other. Imagine what would happen if it was me and Mistress instead…

"*chuckle* No, I shouldn't have thought of that."

I was lucky to have met Remilia-sama that time. But I knew that I was one of the very, very lucky few. There still hundreds, thousands of people who needs love more than anything. Just one spark of love, and they could survive for another cold night. Just a tiny little hope, yet no one seems to have a heart to give a portion of it to them.

"*sigh* What luck, both of us have."

* * *

It was almost midnight when the dinner-slash-party's over. Right now, I'm busy cleaning the dishes in the sink left by the guests.

A couple hours ago, I asked Marisa to inform the SDM about Sakuya, as well with bringing a doctor of some sort. The doctor did came, yeah, as well as the SDM crew, full-house. Heck, I can't even say a word when Flandre greeted me in the front door. Luckily she's pretty docile tonight.

…

" _Sensei, let's play Rock-Paper-Scissor Slap!"_

" _Hmm? That sound's interesting. How do you play it, Flan-chan?"_

" _Easy as cake! We do Rock-Paper-Scissor, like so. If Sensei win, you can slap my face softly…"_

" _Oh, that doesn't sound too bad. What if you win?"_

" _ **Then I can PUNCH you in the face!"**_

"… _on a second thought, let me see if we have something on the back."_

…

That was random. I was lucky that Yukari showed up and brought my salvation in the kitchen. In the end, we played Jenga 'till the night.

But something's a little off. Just like that time in the SDM, I noticed a couple times when she didn't have focus over her surroundings. To put it simply, it's like her mind's gone elsewhere. Maybe I could ask her later when I teach her…

…and I just hope it's not because of that incident over my blood.

Anyway, it's not that I didn't want them to come here, actually. It calms me to know that they actually made an effort to check up on Sakuya. Not only their bonds are strong, but they really do care about her, and possibly saw her not only as a head maid, but also as someone important. A family, hopefully.

It's just that…

"*sigh* What should we do about dinner tomorrow…"

…our food stock is really depleting. I already bought the groceries for the next three days this morning, but almost all of them were gone by the end of the dinner. If it goes on like this, maybe I'll have to use my portion of the paycheck.

…ah, what the heck. I'll force Reimu to use her's. It's her shrine, after all. Yep, yep. Nothing wrong 'bout it.

"Is there something wrong?"

"W-Wha-… Reimu-san!"

I was too deep in my thought that I didn't notice the miko of the shrine already standing on my left. Her presence were almost unreadable that I couldn't help but to take a step backward.

"I-It's nothing, really. My mind just going elsewhere earlier, is all. Nothing you have to think about. Hehe…" I reasoned.

"Hmm… is that so. By the way, do you need help with that?" she pointed at the dishes.

I didn't suspect anything, so I just accepted her offer. "Thanks, then." I still got much, after all.

In the end, we split the task by two. I washed the dishes with a soap – which I don't really want to think where the heck did she get it from – while Reimu rinse it and wipe it up with a cloth on my right. We spend the next ten minutes working without sound until Reimu finally break the silence.

"Say, I haven't congratulate you for earlier." She said with a smirk. "I don't know you're that good at fighting, mister Protector of Gensoukyou."

Ah damn, not this again. Ever since I made those proclamation – you know, the one with Yukari that one time – Reimu had been teasing me with all sort of crap. In my defense, I only said that just because of the atmosphere. Luckily she doesn't bother telling anyone. But damn, the irony! Being called a protector by the Real Protector?! How F-in' embarrassing is that!

I hold the urge to face-palm myself. "I told you girls earlier, didn't I? Sakuya's not feeling well that time. The only reason I could win is because she almost passed out and tripped right before she could slash me. I don't like to think that I'm a winner at all." I let out a sigh. "Also, I instinctively kicked her hard on the stomach, making her lose consciousness and have to stay here for the night. Damn, I wanna apologize to her later."

Yep, that's right. Even though Eirin said that she's okay to go back, Remilia demanded for her to take a rest for the night, much to her and Reimu's disagreement. On top of that, she even tried to force Sakuya to stay here for tomorrow.

It was for the better, probably. She can't even stand on her own, let alone fly. The only people left here to tend to her were me, Mia and Reimu. Mia and Sakuya were already sleeping in Reimu's room, while Marisa went back earlier to do some things in her house.

Also, about the slash on her shoulder? Marisa made it just to confuse her.

"Yanto, winning is winning. It doesn't matter if she's sick or not. She already challenged you and you accepted." She gave me a shrug. "In my opinion, you're still winning fairly."

"But she doesn't even noticed her body condition." I reasoned. "*sigh* In the end, we have to take care of her until she's feeling better."

"Well, it's your problem, not mine." She pointed a plate at my face. Another smirk etched on her face. "You made her like that, so you're the one who have to take care of her. Made her food, attending to her needs… basically being a maid's butler."

I'm already too tired to make a good comeback, so I just let it slip. "A maid's butler, huh… that doesn't sound too bad."

"Also, the money for her food comes from your portion of the paycheck."

"Damn…"

After another couple of dishes, we finally finished. I'm currently wiping my hand while Reimu took a glass of water. She leaned her body by the wall, while I stand near the sink facing her.

"By the way, what do you think?" She opened her mouth.

"Hmm?"

"You've already stayed here for almost a week. I'm just a little curious about your opinion. What do you think of this place?" She asked.

I raised an eyebrow. "This place… what do you mean?"

She showed me that famous Nick Cage's face. "Don't tell me you're actually this dumb."

I gave her a shrug. "No, you're just not specific enough. Gensoukyou, or the Shrine?"

She let out an air of defeat. "*sigh* Fine, I give up. Both, I want to hear your opinions on both."

I pondered about it for a while. It is true that I've experienced much here since Tuesday. Starting from meeting the Shrine crew, talking with Keine, becoming a teacher, saving Mia, meeting some of the Eientei crew, got two weapons, teaching Flandre, learning to fly… God, that was a lot.

Wait…

"A week? Did I already stay here for a week?" I asked her, a little surprised.

Reimu looked at me questioningly. "Well, more or less. Is there something wrong?"

"Wow, I didn't really noticed I've stayed for that long…" I muttered. To be experiencing that much in such a short time, and that's not even all of it. Man, how lucky I am.

I gazed at the ceiling in thought. "To tell you the truth, I'm really enjoying my stay in Gensoukyou. The place's beautiful, the people are nice… I couldn't ask for more, I guess." I explained briefly.

She raised an eyebrow. "That's it? I thought you're more expressive than that."

"I don't know, okay? It's hard to describe it already." I shrugged. "Anyway, this place is really different than the Outside. I can't tell you more since I haven't seen it all, but… so far, I enjoyed it, much."

"Well, that's new. Not much Outsider actually took their time to look." She commented, took a chug from her glass. "Most of them just complaining 'electricity' this, 'internet' that, and forced me and Yukari to send them home faster. Imagine what happened when Yukari actually hibernating. God, was they annoying."

What? No one enjoy it here? Damn, society nowadays.

"Then, what about the Shrine?" She continued with her question.

Well, here comes the hard part. "The Shrine, huh. I don't really know what to say. It's comfortable around here, as well as calm. You girls are also nice to hang out with. Yeah, that's pretty much it."

She frowned, obviously not satisfied with my answer. "Okay, okay, change question. Yanto, why did you choose to live here?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Did you forget? Yukari's the one who wanted me to stay here and all. It's not like I have any other choice. I don't even have any money to rent a-"

"That's not what I meant!"

I was taken aback when she suddenly threw a fit of rage. It couldn't be helped that some of the water was spilled to the floor.

"Re-Reimu-san?"

She walked to me, putting the cup on the sink rather abruptly. "*sigh* Whatever. Just quickly finish the dishes and let's go back to sleep. It's already too late." She walked to the kitchen's door. "Also, wipe the floor a little. Tomorrow, we'll go to Alice's to repair your shirt."

"Wait, Reimu-san?!" I called desperately, but it was no use. In the end, I was left alone in the kitchen utterly confused. I tried to think just why did she reacted like that, but I can't seem to figure it out.

"*sigh* Woman and their complicated brain…" It'll be fine in the morning, I thought.

* * *

At the same time, on one the branches outside the shrine. A mysterious person with slightly charred skin and an afro was spying on the two.

"Ayaya, that's interesting."

Well, that's not so mysterious at all.

"I'm not expecting him to be this dense at all." Muttered the person while she wrote on her notebook. "Maybe because he don't have any experience with a woman before?" She tapped the pen on her lips, deep in thought. "Anyway, it's a great scope!"

When she almost ready to leave, she felt some strand of her hair. "Hmm… I think I should go to Kourindou tomorrow. Maybe he still have that 'hair conditioner' he found that time."

And off she flew, into the darkness of night without sounds.

* * *

"…but it didn't get better-ze?"

"Yep, it didn't."

It's not a good morning, really. Heck, no Monday morning could be called a good morning. Calm, still, but wasn't enjoyable. I tried to have a little chat with Reimu, see if she finally calmed down. But in the end she always kept it short with her answer. It was the same with lunch. In the end, me and Marisa went alone to Alice's house. Apparently, 'we' this time doesn't involve her.

Before, I planned to meet Keine in the morning to discuss about the list she have. But, most of my time were already spent on trying to figure out just why does Reimu mad at me, plus actually trying to apologize. When I realized it, it was already afternoon and I did nothing worth mentioning at all.

I tried inviting Mia and Reimu, but the two rejected it. They even have similar reasons – watching the shrine and/or taking care of Sakuya. She could, though, went back to the mansion in the afternoon or evening if she want to.

"So, the point is…" said Marisa, flying at medium speed on my right, "…Reimu gets all sour and you just don't get what's wrong, right?"

"Yeah, that's pretty much it." I answered. "I want to ask you for advice, Marisa-san. I mean, you're one of her best friend, after all."

"Hmm…" she rubbed her chin as if on a thought. She answered after some pause. "You know what? Guess I won't stick my nose into it this time-ze."

"Huh, why?" I raised an eyebrow, confused.

"Yanto, trust me. You don't want anyone to peek into these kinda stuff. What happened between both of ya is out of me. In your and Reimu's standpoint, I'm just an Outsider."

She slowed her flight, which I followed, then getting closer to me.

"Tell ya something. Why don't 'cha sit down with her later, try to talk heart-to-heart, see if she could tell you what's wrong-ze." She advised. "Better yet, give her some sweet first. A chocolate would be nice."

I almost chuckled out of whim. "Heart-to-heart? Damn, that's cheesy as hell-Ouch!"

That hurt! Why did she have to smack me on the head?

"Yanto." She wore a serious visage, one I haven't seen before. "I may not look like it, but I'm still a girl. I am a girl and I understand a girl's heart. Now, unless you want to keep a bad blood with her, I suggest you to be careful." She fumed while averting her gaze. Her arms crossed on her chest. "Cheesy as hell, sure. But it's working, at least for some-ze."

I almost didn't notice a tint of blush on her cheek. So she was embarrassed to say it, huh.

"Sorry, Marisa-san. I guess I'm going too far." I apologized. "I think I'll try your advice later. Really, thanks."

"*sigh* Sure, sure." She dismissed. Shortly though, she beamed at me. "At least, if you want to buy her a chocolate, you could give some for me!"

"Hell no."

She scoffed. "Cheapskate."

"Says the thief."

"Says the pervert."

"Says the washboard."

"Says the- HEY!"

* * *

After another couple minutes, we finally arrived in front of a house in the middle of the forest.

It is a nice one story house, with a small, two or three stories tower on its side. Unlike the Shrine or the buildings in the village, its yellowish wall looks made out of brick, while its door and windows were from woods. The house gave a vibe of a traditional European house, though from where I couldn't tell. Bucharest, maybe?

"Well, this is it." Said Marisa, her broom's on her shoulder. "You didn't forget your shirt, right-ze?"

"Of course not." I retorted. "I put it in the bag already. Let me check."

I opened the Jet Pack while searching for the shirt. Weirdly enough, even with the amount of space needed for the engine, wings and stuff, it still have some space for shirt, maybe some groceries, and even my laptop. Kappa engineering is the best! I wonder if that's where Germany learned to make their car.

"Did you find it?" asked Marisa.

"Umm… just a bit." I said while searching.

She tilted her head. "Don't tell me… you actually forgot?"

"N-No, I'm not… just… a little… Hey!"

Suddenly, she pulled on the Jet Pack real hard. I even have to lean my body to the back in order to hold it.

"Let me see it-ze!" she demanded.

"W-Wait, Marisa-san!" Her hands are too strong! Is she really a girl? Is she really?!

"Give it to me!"

"N-No!"

"Let… go… DAMMIT!"

"Agh!"

I fell on my back, unable to hold on much longer. The pain were probably overshadowed by the embarrassment. After she looked inside my bag, she shot me a disbelief look.

"Yanto, you stupid! There's nothing here-ze!"

"I-I'm sorry, okay!" I defended myself. "My mind's too occupied this morning that I even forgot to… wait…"

I quickly unzipped my hoodie. Surprisingly, the shirt's still there, worn by me.

"This is it!" I laughed a little. "It's in here after all!" Yeah, suck that!

"Wait…" interrupted Marisa, "It's good that you found it and all, but let me ask you somethin'. What did you say earlier that you forgot to?"

"E-Eh, well… you know… sort of… ah, it doesn't really matter anyway. What matter's that I got the shirt and all goes well." I dismissed.

She looked questioningly before she finally let go. "Meh, suit yourself-ze."

Phew, that's a close one. I wonder what's gonna happen if she find out I haven't take a bath since yesterday. Luckily I don't smell that much.

*sniff* …am I?

* * *

*knock* *knock*

"Alice… you home?"

There's no answer.

*KNOCK!* *KNOCK!* *KNOCK!*

"Aaaliceeee… you there?!"

Still no answer.

"I'm surprised you actually knock, Marisa-san." I commented.

The witch shot me an incredulous look. "Huh? Do I look like a burglar or somethin' in your eyes?"

"As a matter of fact, yeah."

"Damnit, Yanto. For the last time, I'm not stealin', okay? I just borrow things until I die, and that's different-ze!" She reasoned.

"Sure, sure. Whatever floats your boat."

Finally, we heard a sound from the inside.

"Marisa, is that you? I didn't suspect you to actually knock." Said the faint voice from the inside.

She face-palmed. "Yeah, it's me, Alice. Could you open the door for us?"

"Us?" A short pause. "Well I could, yes, but can't you do it yourself? It isn't unlocked, after all."

Marisa's hand almost reached for the second face-palm. "Ugh… okay, okay, just… wait a sec'…"

I entered the house after Marisa, didn't forget to say "Sorry for intruding…" The inside were pretty much how I imagined an old European house would look like. Wooden furniture, maybe maple or teak or… I don't know. Rather than having ceramic plates and cups on the shelf, it was filled with dozens of dolls of different variety. The doll, however, didn't radiate any creepy feeling, so it's still feels comfortable.

"Ah, so you're the man Marisa has been talking about." Said a woman sitting by the table next to Marisa. She appears to be about Marisa or Reimu's age, though her actual age is questionable. She has dark blue eyes and short blonde hair which adorned with a red head band with white frills. She wears blue dress with short white sleeve. She use rectangular red cloth with white frills around her waist as a belt and a necktie. She also wears a white mantle over her shoulder. The feeling she gives out is one of a calm and calculating person.

She is the Seven-Colored Puppeteer, Alice Margatroid.

To tell you the truth, I don't know how Alice's behavior really is. Most fandom usually exaggerating her, um… 'attraction' towards Marisa. It even overshadowed her canon self, made me know little about her. So, I think I'll just gotta act normal today.

Yep, yep, no dry jokes for today.

"Good afternoon, Alice-san…" I did a quick bow and introduced myself. "I'm Yanto Bahar, an Outsider and the new math teacher at the village."

She nodded slightly with a warm smile. "Nice to meet you too. Please, have a seat."

As I did what instructed, she poured me a cup of tea. Shortly after, a doll came from the back bringing a plate of cookies.

" _Sweet, choco-chip…"_ I muttered. I thought I won't see it again in here.

"Thank you, Shanghai. Ah, I'm sorry if you're surprised." Apologized Alice. "Marisa might tell you beforehand, but I'm actually a magician. My specialty is Doll Magic, as you can see. This is one of my doll, Shanghai."

The blonde doll quickly went back to her master's side and do a bow. It's really cute, honestly.

"It's okay, really. I'm not surprised at all." I smiled, assuring her. "In fact, it's amazing how you can control them so flawlessly. Even her smile makes her looks alive."

The doll maker smiled. "I'm glad. Not only didn't you see us as weird, but you're also referring to Shanghai as 'her', not just a simple doll."

Shanghai showed yet another smile. Really, no matter how you look at it, she didn't look like a doll at all. More like a tiny fairy of some sort.

"So, Alice…" said Marisa after nibbling on her cookie, "…this Yanto here have some problem-ze. We came her 'cause we thought you're the best to help him. Isn't that right, Yanto?"

"Well, it's nothing very big, actually. You see, Alice-san, I-."

"Wait just a minute." Interrupted Alice. "Let me ask you some question first. Yanto, you said earlier that you're an Outsider, right?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Yes, that's right. Though, what-"

"Let me finish." She interrupted again. "How long have you been here?"

"Hmm… almost a week, probably. I'm staying in the Hakurei Shrine for the mean time."

"Then how could you say that you're still an Outsider?"

"…eh?"

She let out a sigh before she took a sip of her own tea. "Look, no matter how you look at it, you could pass for another residents already. As far as I know, there's no Outsider willing to stay here this long. Some who did, though, instantly referred themselves as one."

"Well, 'cept for some incident maker-ze." Added Marisa, in which Alice nodded at.

"The point is, Yanto…" continued Alice, "…the way I see it, you're still unable to see yourself as a part of us yet. If you wanted to survive here, you have to let go of your view right now."

"But really, what's wrong with referring myself as an Outsider?" I retorted. "The way I see it, I'm trying to respect another people by saying that I'm a newcomer."

The magician smirked. "Are you really respecting, or are you trying to convince us that you're giving some respect?"

"…what?"

"Answer me, Yanto. Are you really giving us all a respect? Or that sweet smile of yours is just a façade?"

"Hey, hey, Alice, that's too much already…" calmed Marisa. "Yanto, what Alice meant was you're too uptight. I mean, look at you, all going so low and humble in front of people, even though you're kind of a bastard in the heart too."

"Hey, that's uncalled for!"

"Says the pervert who called me a washboard… ZE!"

"B-But that's…" ugh, damn! I got nothing to retort!

"Now look." Said Alice, regaining my attention. "First, if you really wanted to be a resident here, you have to make yourself as an equal with all of us. Try to call me and Marisa without honorifics."

I raised an eyebrow at her antics. "Huh? And why should I do that?"

"Because nobody used honorifics here anymore-ze." Informed Marisa. "Well, 'cept for some, like Sanae, Futo… though those two's a little weird in the head too."

Get yourself a mirror, please. You're by far in the top three of my list of weird fiction character. First one is He-Man, by the way.

"Well, Yanto? Will you try it or not?" challenged Alice, looking at me with her smirk still etched on her face.

"Ugh, fine, I'll try it." I don't want to drag it longer anyway. "Nice to meet you… Alice… Marisa…"

Damn, I knew that'll feel weird! Now this doesn't feel like Japanese at all!

"…and sorry if I somehow looked too uptight – plus that washboard thing, that was just a joke." I added. "Really, I didn't mean anything bad. It just felt… natural to me to use honorifics that I kinda went along with it."

Even in my country, people use honorifics to address the more experienced person, and most people still use it even now. From students to teachers, kids to parents, even sometimes among persons of the same social standing. I guess that's why I forgot that nobody use it in Gensoukyou.

"I'm sorry as well to confront you on our first meeting." smiled Alice. "It's fine to show some respect to others. But, you have to realize that this place is different than your place before. What you though humble could be considered rude here."

"Yeah. Drag that long enough…" added Marisa, now back to her usual smile, "…and people will think you're uncomfortable being here-ze."

I blinked in realization. "Uncomfortable…"

" _What do you think of this place?"_

Is that what… she meant by…

"Well, now that the farce was over…" said Alice with a clap, "…let's get back to business. Yanto, you said you had some business which involved me?"

I was forced to quit my musing. I decided to let it slip for now, seeing that it'll drag me for too long. "Ah, well, actually…"

Both me and Marisa took turn in explaining what happened yesterday. We tried to keep it short as the sky started to turn orange. The respond we had was a small laugh from the puppeteer.

"Ahaha… so she believed it? How novel!"

"Yeah, can't believe she's that naïve-ze. Back to the topic, can you actually do it, Alice?" Asked Marisa.

"Hmm… let me see."

Alice told me to stand for a second. She ordered me to open my hoodie and let her check the shirt. After she did so, she sported a thoughtful mien.

"Hmm… this could prove to be quite challenging." She admitted. "The way the fabric sewn was truly different from what I usually did. Yes, this is an Outside's clothes after all…"

"Wait, Alice-sa-."

"Yanto…" grumbled Alice slightly.

"Ugh… I mean, Alice… why do you have to think about the sewing technique and such? I mean, it's just a little tear in the fabric."

At this, the master of puppets stood up, looking at me with a face full of question.

"Huh, of course I have to. You wanted me to modify your clothes, right?"

.

.

.

…huh?

"Wait, I didn't sa- Whoa!"

"That's right-ze!"

Suddenly Marisa put her left arm on my shoulders, making me topple a bit. No, I don't wanna comment on her weight at all.

"Yanto, if you wanna be like us, then you have to dress like us. Ease up a bit, will yah? So, Alice?" asked Marisa.

"Hmm…" the blonde puppeteer put a hand on her chin. "It will take some time, but I think I could do it. A new challenge's always welcome in Gensoukyou." She looked at me. "What do you say, Yanto? I can't do it if I don't have your permission."

Everything was so sudden that I had to think about it for a bit. It's true that the villager still looks at me weirdly at my current fashion, what with being an Out- I mean, an ex-Outsider and all. It's not even my best clothes there is. When I came here, I only brought what I feel more comfortable with, as well as the one I usually wear. I think a change of wardrobe is needed, after all.

It's not that I'm actually stylish in any sense anyway.

I gave the two a smile. "Sure, then. If you could make it better, then go on."

As a response, the two blonde magician which stood side by side gave me some of the warmest smile I ever saw that I can't even comprehend what they will say next.

""Then, please get naked (ze).""

"WHAT?!"

"Give me the clothes now, so I could sew it." Said Alice, now sporting a malicious grin.

"E-Even the pants?" I walked back in fear. Sh*t, I'm on the back already! I'm stuck!

"Oh, especially the pants, Yan-To-Kun." Added Marisa with a luscious smirk.

"Hey, that's an honorific! And no, I won't! At least let me change to another… Oh f*ck…"

I felt stupid to not bringing another change of clothes.

"Give us now…"

"It won't hurt… a little…"

"Guh… FINE! At least give me a room to change! I'M STILL A VIRGIN!"

X-X-X-X

 _The boy is changing and the girls are sewing. Please wait warmly._

*knock* *knock*

"Hey, Yanto…"

"*sigh* What is it, Marisa?"

"Nah… just wanna have some chat. Y'know a couple months ago, the forest had an insect outbreak, though they calmed down a bit-ze. Me and Alice found some making nest on ceilings, attics and such."

"Uh-huh… interesting… so, what kind of insect anyway?"

"Nothing big, nothing big. Just some small critters like spiders, and cockroach…"

"…"

"So, what do you-"

 ***BAM!* *BAM!* *BAM!***

"LET ME OOOUUUTT!"

X-X-X-X

Three hours later and the clothes was done.

*knock* *knock*

"Yanto, you can come out now-ze."

"…"

"Look, I'm sorry, okay? I don't know you're that scared of them." Apologized the blonde magician.

"*sigh* Look what you've done, Marisa." Scolded the puppeteer. "Yanto, it's all right. I've told you there's no insect in my house, right?"

"Yeah, there's nothin' to worry ab- Ouch! Hey, what was that for?!"

Alice fumed while holding a book she used to smack her friend. "You're not helping."

Shortly after though, the door opened slightly, revealing the man's face. It was obvious that he was mad, quite.

"Yanto, you okay?" asked the black-white.

"…*sigh* I'm fine. Though, that actually goes too far, Marisa."

The magician could only smiled sheepishly while her friend let out a sigh.

When the door fully opened, he revealed his new appearance. Alice repaired the hole and gave buttons to the T-shirt and sewn a black collar, turning it into a regular shirt. The sleeve on his hoodie was cut – without closing the hole left – and sewn to the shirt, making it gray-colored long sleeve of lighter gradient. The puppeteer elongated the hoodie's under part by sewing five pieces of necktie-shaped black fabric until it reaches his ankle. She also added a rope on the part of the hoodie's neck, transforming it into one part sleeveless hoodie, one part cape, and one part coat. As an addition, he asked her to make the trouser baggier so he could move more freely, as well as adding holes to put the scabbards.

"What do you think?" asked the math teacher. He sported a smirk. "Pretty cool, huh?"

"Hmm… yep, still the old same Yanto-ze. No change at a- Ouch!"

The black-white rubbed her pained head. It seems the book was heavier than anyone thought.

"That ought to teach you a bit." Said the other blonde off-handedly. "You look great, Yanto. Now you finally look like another resident."

In truth, he didn't really care if he looked like the other residents or not. Despite that, he still happy to have a set of new wardrobe, not to mention while still keeping his old ones. He now have a new view towards the puppeteer. Now, he saw her as a calm and nice person to be around with, though she could be very blunt at times. Not that it's a bad thing, he thought.

He smiled gratefully. "Really, you've done so much, Alice." He said. "Starting from the lecture, and also the clothes, thank…"

His eyes shot open.

"…you…"

He finally realized. He now finally understand.

"Hmm? Yanto, is there something-"

Suddenly, the man grabbed his Jet Pack and rushed towards the front door.

"Wait, where're you going?" questioned the house owner.

"I'm sorry, Alice. I've got some really important thing to do now." Yanto took his wallet, hurriedly took some piece of the bill and gave it to her. "Is this enough?"

"W-Well, it is…but-"

"Okay then, just keep the change. See you later!"

He ran towards the forest, starting his Jet Pack, and finally flew up to the evening sky. The blonde puppeteer could only look with a question on her head.

 ***VWOOM!***

"…and thank you for the clothes…!" He shouted from afar.

"Really, what's worrying him so much?" She asked to no one in particular. Suddenly, a hand grabbed her shoulder.

"M-Marisa?!"

"That's okay Alice, let him go." Said the magician while gazing at the sky. "That block head. He finally gets it, huh-ze."

She wanted to reply, but she decided to let it slip. Her arm's crossed on her chest "*sigh* Seriously, and I haven't even able to start making his head gear."

Up in the sky, the man flew as fast as he could, and even faster.

"Dammit, dammit, dammit!" He cursed while gritting his teeth. "Why didn't I realize it from the beginning?! _Dasar bego! Bego!_ "

He keeps adding some speed. Right now, he might be as fast as Marisa's top speed. Not that he have any way knowing, though. His mind was too occupied with many things, mostly by what could he say when he meet her. He blinked once he saw the village.

"Chocolate… right." and he descended.

Yanto paid no heed at the bystander. After he landed, he continued to run around the village. Right now, the only thing on his mind is how to find the sweet.

"Almost five…" he mumbled while looking at his wrist watch. "…faster!"

After he spend roughly 30 minutes, he flew back again carrying a big box of Black Forest. He only did so because he couldn't find a single store that sell chocolate. Yanto somehow got lucky by finding a near-empty, rundown cake store which willingly sells their last cake for the day cheaper than usual. It will still cut most of his paycheck, but he didn't pay a heed with it.

* * *

In the shrine, the three woman already waiting for the two to come back.

"It's longer than I thought, huh…" mumbled Mia, sitting by the sliding door.

"It was to be expected. I've heard that clothes used in the Outside is by far different from ours and easier to make." Commented the maid. "Although, without the proper equipment it would take much longer to modify it."

The miko of the shrine, which sat in front of Mia by the table, didn't say a word. The only think she did was drinking her tea while waiting half-tentatively for the man to come back.

"But I heard that Alice could control dolls, right? Is it possible that she, I don't know… control her dolls to help her?" asked the sword-wielding teen half-seriously.

"*chuckle* Yes, it is indeed possible. There was that one time when Mistress requested a dress for her birthday party. Aside with the designing part, she surprisingly managed to finish it in less than a night." Reminisced the maid.

"What, seriously?"

You might noticed when I said the miko wait for 'the man'. It was no exaggeration, however. Sluggish as she seems to be, her mind was full of what to say when she meet him again.

"Yes, indeed. Even more, that same night, she managed to finish the dress for Little Mistress too. The job which I predicted will last for more than a week could be finished in less than five hours."

"No way, that denied common sense!"

Do I need to remind you that common sense has no place in Gensoukyou?

Anyway, back to the topic, or should I say the miko. Let's peek a little into the monologue inside her head, shall we?

" _Hmm… do I need to apologize to him later? Maybe I was getting too worked up yesterday. I mean, it was a hectic night, and I needed some sleep…"_

" _Wait… could it be that it wasn't my fault? Yes, yes, I could just blame it to sleepiness and get away with it. Yes, a perfect plan…"_

" _But what about this morning? I even openly tried to avoid him. Oh, this is too frustrating!"_

Her head slumped to the edge of the table, unable to cope with her brain.

"*sigh* What am I gonna do…"

Shortly after, a loud sound similar of a jet engine combined with a flame thrower was heard.

 ***VOOM!***

"That must be him." Noticed the man's cousin.

"So loud… I wonder if the kappa was even capable of creating something environmental-friendly." Wondered the maid.

The miko's breath hitched slightly when she saw him suddenly appeared in front of everyone, all disordered with rugged breath, shaggy hair and sweaty neck. The only thing she noticed, though, is his serious gaze.

"Yanto…"

Nobody managed to finish a sentence because he unexpectedly rushed inside, put a white box in the middle of the table rather abruptly, grabbed the miko's hand and rushed inside.

"Wha-!"

The two bystanders could only watch with mouth slightly agape. All sorts of theory started to form up inside their head.

" _What's this… an affair?"_ the maid raised an eyebrow.

" _Great Yanto, great! Now if only you have a condom…"_ Smirked the teen. _"…wait…"_

 ***BANG!*** She punched the table in realization.

"THEY'RE NOT MARRIED YET!"

"…huh?"

Back to the two young man and woman…

"Wait, Yanto! Slow down!"

He keeps running and running, dragging the woman in his hand ever-so-carefully, until the two reached the kitchen.

"Haah… haah… f*ck…"

"Yanto… just what-"

"Wait, Reimu… let me talk first…"

This caught the red-white's attention. It was the first time he had called her without honorifics. She then noticed his exhaustion.

"Then… let me get you some water."

"NO! No…" he panted while his hands on his knees. "If I drag it longer… *wheeze* I won't be serious and… *wheeze* make another joke again!"

Despite that, he whole-heartedly accepted the cup she gave.

"*glug* *glug* PAH! Now where was I… Oh, yeah!"

In a swift move, he grabbed the miko by her shoulder, making her – and inadvertently his – cheek beet red in blush.

"Reimu, I've got something to tell you."

"Y-Y-Yeah?"

Her body relaxed when he released his grip. It tensed again when he suddenly, in front of her…

…bowed.

"THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME HERE!"

"E-Eh?"

He stood back straight up and started explaining. "Look. I know for this week that I've been a nuisance, what with suddenly lodging myself and my cousin here without any notice at all. Well, without your concern too, actua- *SLAP!* NO, YANTO! Just be serious!"

Yanto couldn't bear seeing Reimu's face, no matter what kind of expression she wore. So, he closed his eyes.

"Anyway, the point is… I'm really, really happy to stay here in the shrine. Maybe I even would ask to stay here if I could. It was very… very comfortable being here. You guys – especially you of course – are so much fun to be around with. But I already said it yesterday, huh… *SLAP!* SERIOUS, GODDAMMIT!"

The man let out a sigh, trying to catch his breath. Looking down, he still unable to look at her in the eyes. His face full of guilt.

"I really confused today, but I think I figured it out. You getting mad yesterday, maybe it's because of what I said. Yeah, 'being forced to stay' was a bad thing to mention."

He gathered his courage and looked straight to her face. Her expression's unreadable.

"The point i- *COUGH!* wait… ahem… the point of what I'm saying is…"

He swiftly bowed for the second time.

"Please, let me and my cousin stay her longer!"

He said it. If this is his yesterday self, he would thought how embarrassing this is. But he persevered. If there's one thing he don't like, is to sever connection he had carefully thread. And that's what he's trying to keep.

It was quite funny in your eyes, maybe. How sometimes a single, tiny miscommunication, how one misunderstanding could sever even the strongest connection there is. If you think about it, isn't that means such connection is even weaker than, say, a Wi-Fi? Or even a LAN with cables which could last for hundreds of meters?

But well, what can I say? Such is the gift and the curse of a human. No, maybe saying a _creature_ would be more appropriate, here in Gensoukyou. A connection hard to made, easy to sever, but sometimes worth every struggle.

Unbeknown to them, the other two who stayed in the middle room decided to take a peek on the man and woman's, which they called 'rendezvous'.

"Now I understand…" mumbled the teen.

"Hmm? What is it?" asked the maid, whispering.

"I thought the two's kind of weird this morning. It's as if they tried to avoid each other." She smiled warmly. "Yanto, how lucky you are. Well, at least the matter will be resolved now."

Yanto could only wait. Here in the dimly-lit orange-colored kitchen, he could only wait. He exhausted all the courage in himself to talk. Now he couldn't even stood back straight up, too afraid to see her in the eyes.

Now it's up to Reimu. It depends on her answer to determine the fate of this newly-made connection between the shrine keeper and her guest.

* * *

*pluck*

I could feel an object touching my head.

"Stood up." She ordered. And so I did.

When I looked forward, Reimu still wearing that same uninterested expression she always have. Her arms on her hips, one of them is holding her gohei.

"Y-Yes?" I asked.

She raised an eyebrow. "*sigh* Seriously… rushing here only to say that?"

I looked down again. "S-Sor-"

"Look up."

"YASH!"

She scratched her head, looking to the side. "Well, I guess should've said sorry too. I kind of overreacted that night and, well… burst out mad… so it's not completely your fault, I guess…"

My eyes widened. I can't describe how surprised I was at the moment.

"Reimu…"

"…yes?"

"I thought you couldn't even say sorry."

 ***SMACK!***

"OUCH! Sorry, really, sorry!" I rubbed my head in pain. Damn, what's that gohei really made of?!

"That's going too far, Yanto." She sighed while shaking her head. "Really, this was all started because you can't watch your mouth."

I scratched my head in embarrassment. "I'm sorry… I guess I'll try keeping my mouth later on."

She nodded. "Well then, if you understand. Then, come with me."

Reimu suddenly walked out of the kitchen. Not wanting the same happened again, I followed her.

"Wait, Reimu!"

She rushed down the corridor, not even bother to look back.

"Just follow me to the outside. I'll explain it later."

I quickened my pace. We walked down the middle room where Mia and Sakuya sat and…

…wait…

"What're you two doing?" I asked.

"Oh, whatever could you mean, Yanto-sensei?" asked Sakuya ever-so-innocently. "We were just waiting for you to come back."

"Yes, and you even brought us cake!" beamed Mia. "It cost you much, didn't it?"

"Yanto, come here quick!"

I was forced out of my musing by Reimu's shout. "Yes!"

Shortly after, the two of us were already in the front of the shrine, facing each other. Mia and Sakuya watched us tentatively – with a cake on each hand – while sitting on the porch. The only thing separating me and Reimu is the stone pathway.

"Yanto…" she asked, her arm's crossed over her chest. "…did you remember what you just said earlier?"

*gulp* I have to be serious now. "Umm… you mean, the part which I wanted to stay here longer?"

She nodded. "That's right. In order to live here in Gensoukyou, it's not enough to just know about us. You have to play by our rules too."

I could feel the wind, no… the _aura_ changed. Slowly, her feet raised to the sky, followed by her entire body.

"The Spell Card Rules, have you heard about it?" she asked.

I gulped unconsciously for the second time. "Y-Yes, I've heard it."

Her face's a smile, but I could tell how much danger there in it. Suddenly, two Ying-Yang Orbs the size roughly twice bigger than a handball flowed out of nowhere, floating beside her.

"Yanto Bahar…" she called with a smirk, "…I will train you on how to play danmaku."

"Have you said your prayers?"

* * *

 **Some times ago, I found a cockroach crawling on my hand when I sleep. Needless to say, I almost burned my place down.**

 **Anyway, this chapter, well… there's really not that much action at all. I made it basically so Yanto could train his danmaku skill, seeing he's already a week and 10 chapters in Gensoukyou without actually train even once.**

 **There might be – note the 'might' – a danmaku battle of some short next chapter. I also planned for Yanto's Boundary training too. Expect some pseudo-science coming up.**

 **You might thought "Will Yanto take the Reimu route?" Well, the answer is I don't know. I don't want to rush things like relationship and all, it might become weird in my opinion. Though, I won't deny that the incident-resolvers could have some important part in this fic, be it sooner or later. How important that is, i won't open any card for now. Please bear with me.**

 **I'm not intending to make a romantic chapter at all – even with that kind of title. I only thought it would be better if the two of them know each other even more. It's beneficial after all, for people who is living together in the same place. It's also better if he familiarized himself with another residents, if he decided to stay.**

 **If you think this chapter is too cheesy, then I'm really sorry. This fic is written by an anti-social self-hating attack apache helicopter who has no idea about a relationship between humans at all. In short, I'm single.**

 **By the way, what do you think about the clothes? About Gensoukyan clothes, I don't know what's normal at all. I just thought that "What looks weird here must look normal there." That's why I don't want to restrict him in traditional Japanese clothes. If you have any suggestion, please give some review.**

 **Last but not least, I thank you very, very much for all the favouriters, the followers, the reviewers for your support until now. I know it's still imperfect and it won't possibly be, but I'll try to make it better. Once again, please leave a review if you have any idea, how crazy that is. Really, it's worth it.**

 **Until next time, the- wait…**

 **EPILOGUE ALERT! EPILOGUE ALERT!**

* * *

 **Epilogue**

Late Monday night at the Scarlet Devil Mansion.

In the basement of the mansion, a little vampire lives. Though, you might have heard about it before. She wasn't locked in here anymore, however. It might be because she has grown accustomed by the room so she didn't want to move to another? One could only guess.

Also, she's now afraid of hurting other people. The new teacher made her realize that there's another kind of pain, one couldn't be seen yet leaves a deeper mark. Yes, the pain in the heart. And she didn't want to take a part in it.

The little vampire, now in her sleeping attire, slumped in her bed. She's tired and felt a little sleepy because of the excessive amount of excitement she let out earlier.

Jenga is amazing, the author admitted.

However, her eyes couldn't be closed at the time. A thought keeps her from entering her slumber.

"Sensei…"

Oh, wait. She's not imagining anything sexual at all. Don't worry, my fellow reader.

It all started that day, when he taught her for the first time. The little vampire asked – out of a whim – for a taste of his blood. In her defense, she felt quite famished that day. She thought maybe just a lick won't hurt.

A vampire's saliva was very different in nature compared to one of a human. It has a substance which prevent the blood from clotting while the vampire drink its blood. It also prevents the wound from closing too fast.

That day, the teacher's wound on his cheek hasn't fully closed yet, so it was easy to open it even with a lick of her tongue. In the end, she managed to taste a drop. One, thick blood which could be the very key to all this farce.

"…his blood…" she muttered, "…is it possible… his sister was actually…"

And the sleepiness finally took the last might of her consciousness.


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer : Touhou and all its characters are belonged by ZUN** **and Team Shanghai Alice** **. I only own my OCs and this story. Any similarities on any parts of the story with another fanfic are unintended.**

 **Chapter** **12 : Humans are a Pile of Small… well, you know the rest…**

* * *

"All right, let's start our lesson now, shall we?"

It was Monday midnight, or should I say Tuesday morning? Currently, me and Yukari were back in the white room to finally start our practice, which were dragged on because of many things. She's now sitting on her chair while I'm back on the sofa. In front of us were two cups of tea.

"But before that, Yanto."

"Hmm?" I raised an eyebrow.

"How do you like the taste of your first danmaku battle? Is it delicious? I bet you wanted to taste more, hmm~?"

I almost face-palmed if I didn't hold it. "Shut up, dammit. It hurts like hell…"

Let me list it to you all for good measure. Bandaged arms, check. Bandana-wrap-or-something on my head, check. Patches on cheek, check. Oh, and one wrap on my right ankle, also check. No wonder she asked.

To be honest, the bullets didn't really leave any deep marks. The bandages are for the point where I fell because Reimu managed to put me off balance with her Ying-Yang orb, and later landed on where it hurts. I still blame her anyway, though.

"But it does shows clearly how far the difference of your skills compared to her, right?"

"That's like comparing the skills of a war veteran to a 12 years old FPS player." I reasoned. "Think about it. Reimu were practically raised to fight youkai and such since the beginning. Me? I was just came to this world exactly one week ago. It'll be a miracle if I somehow able to fight- no, even just stand my ground against her would be amazing."

"That's what I said…" Yukari sips on her tea. "…you need more practice. But believe me, Yanto, you have an advantage none of us Gensoukyians had. If you use it, even you might become a top notch in danmaku battlefield."

"Huh, really?" I raised an eyebrow. "And what is-… no, I guess I shouldn't ask. You won't tell me even if I beg for it, right?"

"Oh, and I was just going to tell you earlier. But since you said that, I take that it would be better for you to find it on your own, right~?"

"E-Eh? Wait, what?!"

"Come on, stand up. Let's begin your lesson already. We don't have all the time~."

Oh god… tricked again…

*GAAAAPEE*

"First, let's do some review. Do you still remember your task?" asked Yukari, standing in the middle of the room.

"Protecting the barrier while you move Gensoukyou back to where it belong… sort of thing?"

She gave a nod. "Precisely. As such, not only you should be able to open a gap, but you should also be able to protect a boundary when it's needed. Today's lesson will be on how to reinforce a boundary and protect it from being, 'dissolved'."

I was waiting for her next instruction, but I noticed something really disturbing.

"Yukari…"

"Hmm~?"

"Could you… I mean… could you just stop showing me that smirk? It's… kinda disturbing, to be honest."

She always show me that face. However, I could feel the intensity to be much worse than the usual. It's as if she's pitying over something or whatever.

"Oh, I'm sorry… to tell you the truth, originally I wanted to train your gap opening skill first, but it seems that you managed to do it on your own. What a shame~."

My eyes widened. "Wait… you knew?"

"Of course I knew." Her smirk grew even wider. "Even if I told you not to, you still tried to make a gap without me to watch over. *sigh* I though my apprentice would be a docile, sweet and gentle child. Too bad, too bad indeed~."

*sigh* Caught bare-handed, huh?

"Okay, okay… I gave up." I raised my hand. "Truth is, I sneaked up in the middle of the night to train alone, seeing that it's gonna be a waste of time for me to wait while you finally bring back my laptop."

Her eyes' widened. She hid half of her face with her fan. "I'll return it to you tomorrow morning."

" _So she forgot. Figures…"_

"On another note, could you show me how much you've improved?" she asked.

"Well certainly, obaa-."

"Call me that, and I'll gap you into Makai."

"…sorry."

I finally crouched down and put my right palm onto the white floor. Then, I did just like what I've done before.

* * *

A gap opened below his palm. At the same time, another one was also opened on a wall on my right. If one looked closely, it was clear that it has a shape of a broken sphere, quite different than the one I make.

" _Impressive…"_ I thought, _"… his reaction speed were much faster than before."_

He stood up and faced me, still with that same uninterested face. "Man, I still couldn't figure out how to do it without any medium. This is what I could do for now."

"… _and it seems he has made a connection with his gap. Even though it's not strong yet, it's still impressive."_

"Oh, and also this."

My eyes widened when he snapped his finger, prompting the gaps to be closed.

"I don't get it. Every time I tried to close it, I still need to produce some, um… 'mental trigger', like that snap before. I still can't close it on a whim, like what you usually did."

He even managed to close it on his own, without me telling him how to. I couldn't help but smiled.

"How about the distance?" I asked.

"I… haven't really tested about it. But I guess 50 meters is my limit for now." He scratched his head.

I gave a curt nod. "Very good. However, have you watched over the possibility of unwanted onlookers?"

"I tried as much as I could." He gave a shrug. "At least, I waited 30 minutes before I actually train. I also looked for a place quite far from the shrine. As for Aya… well, I hope she didn't peek, 'cause it's already too late in the night."

I couldn't help but chuckled a little bit. He doesn't know that I ordered Ran to watch over him in advance. Luckily, there's no unwanted audience near him that time, according to her. The place he chose were also quite far from the three fairy's house.

"Impressive. Very impressive indeed. As expected of my apprentice." I gave him an applause. "You still need more practice, nevertheless. Now, let's start with your Boundary Reinforcement training."

I pulled an item from a small gap on my right and presented it to him.

* * *

"Here." She handed me the stuff. "This will be your training kit today."

"It's a… soap bubble? What am I supposed to do with this?" I raised an eyebrow.

She took it again from my hand. The gap youkai stir the handle a little bit, then she blew the bubble. As a result, a medium-sized one was made. It goes down and down…

*pop*

…and it was gone the second it touches the ground.

"So… do you understand anything from this?" She asked.

There isn't really anything I could come up with. But just then, a realization popped up in my mind. "As far as I know, your bubble isn't the one from the store. I guess you just mixed water and dish soap together and put it on that bottle. There's no way an expensive one could pop right after it touches the ground."

Yukari smiled. "Amazing observation. But, you failed to grasp the point of this explanation."

Ugh… hold your horses, mister hand. Don't face-palm right now…

"The objective of this training is to reinforce the bubble. I want you to make the bubble stronger so that it could last more than 10 seconds after it touches your hand." She explained. "It'll help you to understand the very basic of boundary reinforcement."

"Um… question?" I raised my right hand. "How am I supposed to do it?"

"That is for you to figure out." She smirked. Suddenly, a human-sized gap appeared beside her. "It's getting late now. Train as much as you can, considering this space is time-independence from the outside."

"Wait, Yukari! I still don't understand what I should do!" I called for her.

"Don't worry. You'll understand soon enough." Half of her body entered the gap. "When you finished, or if you're tired and can't seem to go on, you could just open another gap to the outside. When you want to train again, just come here as you will. Easy as cake. Ja ne~."

…and the gap closed, leaving the confused me behind. But suddenly, another one appeared.

"Oh, I almost forgot. Don't open a gap near the shrine, all right~?"

…and it closed again.

"Okay, that's it. I can't take it anymore. FACE-PALM TIME!"

*SMACK!*

"OUCH!"

* * *

"Um… Yanto?"

"Yes, Keine, what is it?"

Today was Tuesday, as anyone maybe expected. The time according to my watch, was almost '12.30'. I decided to go to Keine's office today to talk about what she informed me before. She said she might have information regarding my lost sister, which I wasn't really sure about. Also, she gave me my first ever paycheck! Yay!

By the way, about the training? The result was zero. A perfect Sunny Side-Up. I blew the bubble time after time and every single one of them will pop right when it touches my hand. I decided to stop because I realized that it's not going anywhere even if I somehow emptied the bottle. Also, I'm getting sleepy, and hungry.

"It… would probably a little rude to ask this of you, but…" she pointed at my body, "…why does your body looks all bruised up?"

Oh… that…

"Well, let's just say it involves a certain energetic shrine maiden, a spell card and one inexperienced fool, such as me."

"Ah, don't tell me…" she held a palm on top of her lips, "…you've been training danmaku with Reimu?"

Right on spot, as expected of Keine. "You got that right. The problem is, my flying reflect is still far worse compared to her, and I still figuring out how to actually fight back."

The most crucial problem might be the fact that I still can't fire any bullets at will. Flying skills could be improved by training, but right now I'll have to find a way to shoot or I'll have to bear with time-outing every spell cards I encounter.

No freakin' way, dude!

In my defense, Reimu didn't even hold back at all! In the course of almost zero minute and thirty five seconds, she ruthlessly fire danmaku here and there. I might even caught her grinning at times. Worse, she didn't show any regret at all! Damn, the hearts of women!

"Well, in my opinion, danmaku isn't a game where you could master at a whim. Even I have to train a lot before I mastered it." Informed Keine. "I may not be the best, but I could surely teach you one or two things I know. How is it sound to you?"

"Are you sure it won't be a bother?" I asked, a little unsure.

"Of course not! It would be an honor even, to teach one of my own colleagues." She smiled. "It is the least I could do for everything you've done to me until now."

Ah, here she goes again. Always saying as if she's indebted to me or something.

"By the way…" I said, changing the topics, "… when did she said she would come?"

"Oh, you mean Akyuu?" She asked. "She should be here at any moment. Though, I wonder what took her so-"

"KYAA!"

That doesn't sound good at all.

"Yanto?!"

I quickly rushed to the outside to find the source of the sound. There, just outside the building, I found a woman sitting helplessly on the ground.

She has shoulder-length purple hair with a light pink flower-shaped hair decoration. She wears a green vest and a red shortened hakama skirt which separated by a red, white laced obi. She also wears a yellow sleeves which pattern resembles the flower on her hair.

She is The Ninth Generation Savant, Hieda no Akyuu.

I rushed to see her face. Seems that she's quite shocked, but I can't find any bruise. "Akyuu-san, are you all right?"

Her purple eyes were still lifeless. I gotta try to be more serious this time.

"Hello? Earth to Akyuu, this is Houston speaking. Do you copy?"

Dammit, brain! Not at a time like this!

When Keine arrived at the scene, she quickly joined me in trying to revive Akyuu from her shock. She shook Akyuu's shoulder quite roughly. "Akyuu, did something happened? Are you all right?"

Still no response. Keine gritted her teeth in frustration before she lightly slapped Akyuu's cheeks. "Akyuu! This is me, Keine! SAY SOMETHING!"

The girl finally blinked a couple times, sign of noticing the surrounding. "K-Keine…?"

"Oh, thank god you're all right!" Keine pulled her on a tight hug. Quickly though, she pulled back again. "Akyuu, focus on me. What is actually going on? Why are you screaming earlier?" She asked, her face's full of seriousness.

She tried to respond slowly. By the time she managed to speak, people were already filling the streets.

"M-My purse… a man…" she muttered.

Both me and Keine quickly came to a realization. "How is he looks like, Akyuu? Tell me!" She urged.

"U-Um… he has… um…"

" _This isn't going anywhere."_ I thought. "Akyuu, listen to me." I tapped her shoulder, gaining both women's attention. "I want you to describe anything you know about that man. Better yet, what did he wear?"

Having a near-perfect photographic memory was very beneficial this time. But still, I doubted that she could describe the culprit at all, considering her condition. It's better to know the big picture rather than the small details now.

"Eh, um… black robe… straw hat, and…" I could notice her body shivered. "…knife…"

"Okay. Then, what's your purse looks like? It's size, color?"

"It's… purple, not too big…"

That's the only thing I need. "Keine."

"Yes?"

"I gotta search for that man. For now, please take care of Akyuu. Don't try to ask her more info, lest we invoke her trauma."

She nodded. "Yes, please do so."

* * *

"Sh*t! Damn it all!"

It's been almost half an hour since I looked for the culprit. I decided to just run my way, or else I'll make a commotion if I fly with my jet pack. So far, I've covered up almost 60% of the main road and 30% of the alley. Yet, he's still nowhere to be found.

"How could I be so stupid?!"

Robes and straw hats were easy distraction tools. It's easy to just toss it away on the side of the street and just walks away innocently. Yet, I didn't ask what he wore inside. He could be anywhere now!

Wait… 'he'?

"Oh, for f*ck sake! Not again!"

Dammit! Why I assumed it could only be a man? With those stuff, it's possible to fake even your own gender. Now I won't be able to find the culprit!

"Okay now… *sigh* let's just calm down a little… no need to get mad…"

It won't do me any good, muttering it all angry like this. I guess I'll just go back to the school, ask Keine and Akyuu for more details. Maybe she had calmed down now, seeing it's been-

*THUD!*

"Ah, I'm sorry sir." I bowed to the man which I bumped.

"It's okay." He did a quick bow and going his way again.

Now where was I? Oh right, going back to school. I guess it's okay to ask for more details, seeing it's already quite long since I… wait…

"My watch?! Hey, STOP!"

The man quickly run away, almost out of my sight. I gotta go fast!

"WAIT, YOU F*CKERS!"

I ran and ran as fast as I could, following the damned culprit until he took a turn on a tight alley.

" _Finally…"_ I thought, _"…he'll be trapped for sure!"_

He stopped at a wooden wall, seeing there's no more space to go. The man turned his body to me, grabbed his knife and took a stance.

"Now, now…" I took my sword and knife. Instinctively, I smirked. "There shouldn't be any blood dropped here, don't you think? Just give me my watch back, and I'll let you go. Oh, and if you could drop that knife, please?"

I was expecting him for just jump his way to me, trying to thrust that kinda rusty blade through my stomach. Against all odds, he instead relaxed his stance and let out a smirk.

"Heh… you're the one who lose."

*drap*

Hearing a footstep, I quickly turned my back against him. I was thrown away when I found…

 ***SMACK!***

"ACK!"

…a geta making its way to my face. Unfortunately, the 'thrown away' part was literal.

I tried to rose up to my feet and opened my eyes. I was dumbfounded to see a group of at least 7, 10 people with evil-looking smirk etched in their face standing in front of me. Each of them were carrying knives, machete, a piece of wood, or any other types of weapon. The culprit earlier were joining them.

As of now, I'm the one who's trapped.

One of the largest man there, wielding nothing but his bare-hand, called the culprit. "What's with this guy?" he asked.

"He's trying to take my stuff, sir!"

Shut yer trap. It's mine, for f*ck sake!

"Hey boss…" called one of his goons, "…is he that new teacher from the Outside?"

"Yeah!" called the others. "People said he got some hots with the red miko. Heck, they might've been doin' it already!"

"Man, I'm jealous! Just think about those boobs he could touch!"

"The red one, moron, not the green one!"

"Hey, we're not like that!" I retorted.

The boss's smirk were getting bigger by each moment. "Hoo, interesting…" she said very slowly, as if tired or something.

"Y'know, pretty boy…" he trailed, "…this 'round here, is our village. Even if you friend with that stingy armpit miko, or that b*tch of a teacher, there ain't no way we gonna give you our thing. We sure hell ain't no charity club."

Oh boy, straight outta ghetto.

"There's this one special rule y'all gotta know 'bout us. Boys?" he clicked his fingers, and the goons trailed suit.

" **What's yours is mine, and what's mine is mine!"**

…wait…did they just quoted… huh?

"Tell ya something, pretty boy…" the boss said again, "…that sure was some fancy-lookin' blades ya got there. Why don't ya just leave it to us, and we'll let you out. How's that sound, hmm~?"

I took a step back. The wall is roughly twice my height, making it almost impossible for me to jump over. I could, however, fly my way out with my jetpack, but…

…dad's watch… and Akyuu's…

"Come on, give it to us…"

"Before that, can I ask you something?"

"Hmm?" he raised an eyebrow.

"Did any of you stole something from the Child of Miare today? A purse, maybe?" I asked.

He looks puzzled. "That ain't your problem, b*tch."

"Just answer, goddammit!"

The boss flinched a little. He decided to look back at his goons. "Hey, any of you did that?"

Not long before a guy hesitatingly raised his hand. "I-I did it, boss…"

He nodded and looked at me again. "So it is. Ya won't get it back, tho."

*sigh* Just as I thought.

"You know, I'm sure as hell gonna get the Author bashed in the community if I make this joke. But I'm gonna do it anyway, for the sake of humor."

All of them looked at me questioningly.

"I guess… knowing the fact that you're going to fight with one of the village's teacher fills you with quite the determinations, right?"

I rotated Sabit in my thumb, trying to provoke them. As expected, they're getting tense and took their stance.

"Just so you know, I'm not gonna give this to you that easily. Know this… that you're gonna have a ba~d time~."

* * *

"I wonder, will he be fine?" asked Akyuu.

It has been… more than half an hour since Yanto looking for the culprit. There still no sign of him coming back, so I assumed he is still in the middle of searching. Currently, me and Akyuu were back to my office inside the school. I made cups of tea for both of us, plus one cup of coffee for Yanto when he came back.

"I hope so. Rather than that, I wonder if he found your purse already." I wondered.

"Actually… the inside is not that important. I only brought some of my money and a couple of other small things. Even the chronicles were still safe in my other hand." She admitted. "I'm sorry I was too perplexed to say it."

"It's all right." I gave her a smile. "It was him who decided to run after the culprit. Even if the contents were not worth the effort, I know he would still search for it. He was just that kind of man."

Akyuu looked at me questioningly. Shortly, her façade changed to one of a foxy smile. "Oh… I don't know you're that close to him to even saying things like that."

I could feel my cheek's going red. "I-It's not what you think. We are partners at work, and it's just natural for me to understand him. Well, even if we only met recently." I raised an eyebrow at her. "What are you implying, exactly?"

"*chuckle* It was nothing, really. I was just teasing you." She laughed slightly. "Then again, if the rumor I heard was indeed true, I doubted he would be facing any challenges at all."

"Wait, rumors?" I asked. "What have you heard, concerning him?"

"Well…" she took a sip of her cup, "…you know that I subscribed to Aya's newspaper, right? Yesterday, when she deliver the paper, she gave me a secret info which…"

She then described the event, according to the tengu's scoop. Akyuu said that Yanto surprisingly won against Sakuya in a blade-fight without actually breaking any sweat. Even more so, his kick made her unconscious, forcing her to stay in the shrine for a day and a night.

Needless to say, I was shocked.

"But well, we really shouldn't take it with a grain of salt, in my opinion. I mean, it was from a tengu, after all."

"You might be right…"

I was becoming more and more concerned with him. It reached the point where I couldn't just sit back and wait anymore.

"Where're you going?" she asked.

"I'm going to look after him. Don't worry, I won't be long." I assured, before I headed towards the door.

* * *

"*sigh* Really, that Akyuu…"

Honestly… It was enough for me to worry about him. She shouldn't just tease me at the drop of a hat like that. I just hope she won't grew up becoming a naughty woman.

Then again, for him to win against Sakuya was not an easy feat. When we first met that time, back at the Imperishable Night incident, she was highly proficient with her knife-throwing skill. Even if they only had a normal brawl, not a danmaku battle, I doubt she would be an easy opponent.

"Wait…"

I noticed that I've trailed too long to one of the desolate corner of the village. If I wasn't mistaken, this place was filled with all kinds of criminals like thieves, burglars, kidnappers and such. I just hope Yanto didn't trailed too far here. I should go back befo-

"Keine!"

I quickly rotated my body and saw him, sprinting his way towards me. On his hand was a purple rectangular object, which I later recognized as Akyuu's purse.

But, that's not the first thing I noticed.

"Yanto! What happened to you?!" I asked. "Your face look disheveled! Did you got into a fight?!"

"I'm fine, Keine, really." He gave me his signature smirk. "What matters is I got the purse back. Now let's get back to-"

"No!" I interrupted him. "You don't look fine at all, for god's sake. Tell me, who did you have a fight with? Who took Akyuu's purse?!"

"Keine, calm down… okay?" He tapped my shoulder lightly. His smile's a calming one. "It's just some gang members and such. Luckily some of the villagers helped me in taking them down."

"Gang members?!" My eyes widened. "Take me to them now, Yanto."

"No, no, it's okay now…" He held me back by my shoulder. "I told you they've been taken care of, right? It's really okay now, so let's just go back to the school."

I was going to retort, but then I took a glance at his left hand and grabbed it. "Oh god, you're bleeding!"

"Ah, well… it's inevitable. I gotta help them too, right? 'Sides, it's not that deep, so it'll heal in no time." He shrugged it off just like that.

Seriously, he's being too careless!

"W-Wait, Keine? Where're you dragging me?"

"To the school, where else? I'm going to patch up those scars of yours… and maybe caving some common sense to that head."

"E-EH?!"

* * *

As the matter of fact, the two of them were not the only one who took the route.

"Oh, could that be the new teacher?"

A woman who happened to walk on the same road that day, caught a glimpse of Yanto approaching Keine from afar.

"Hmm… the two looks awfully close today." She smirked.

The woman wanted to follow them, but just before she sensed something unusual.

"*sniff* Smells like a battlefield 'round here."

Thanks to her curiosity, the woman decided to follow the smell instead. Her nose took her to a nearby alley. She walked inside following the trail, until she found an awful sight.

"*gasp* Oh my…"

* * *

"Okay, let's start with the interview, shall we?"

Immediately after we arrived, Akyuu welcomed us cheerfully and thanked Yanto for returning her purse. He replied that it was just a normal things to do, considering the situation. Of course, I didn't forget to scold him for his recklessness. Hopefully he understand, unlike some of the students I have.

I asked Akyuu to tend to his wound, while I heated his coffee and made some more tea for the two of us. While she's at it, she personally asked him for an interview. Akyuu wanted to add him to her chronicles, seeing that he decided to become a permanent resident here even though he still, in a sense, lodging himself for free at the Hakurei shrine.

He didn't particularly decline, but I could see a bit of hesitation in his face. After a couple minutes, he finally decided to accept, with one condition which is to not ask him too deep about his personal affairs.

Currently, me and Yanto were sitting face-to-face in the middle of the room, while Akyuu took a seat behind the table so she could write.

"I'm ready. Just give me your best shot." Smiled Yanto.

Akyuu started to write. "So, Yanto-san, right? Since this is the first time we've met, why don't you start with telling me about yourself?"

He looked upward, a common habit I noticed when he's thinking. "Hmm… well, my name is Yanto Bahar, but you could just call me Yanto. As you might guessed, I don't have any Japanese blood inside me at all. I came from Indonesia, a country in South-East Asian. Though, where I came from didn't really matters, I guess."

Akyuu nodded. "Indonesia… I have a feeling I have heard about it before. Could you give me some descriptions of it?"

"Well, here comes the hard part. It is…"

The conversation drifted to a quick description of Yanto's country. In exchange, Akyuu also mentioned some difference in norm as a comparison between Gensoukyou and his country. The more I looked at it, it became more akin to a cultural exchange between two teenagers.

Wait… teenagers? I remembered I haven't ask about Yanto age at all. He looks quite young, to be honest. But his demeanor is similar to a fully-grown adult. Is it possible that he's a lot younger than what I had assumed? Possible…

…huh? Why am I thinking about that anyway?

Akyuu scribbled more. "Hmm… I guess I could put this on separate note, considering how much information you gave me, Yanto-san." She chuckled slightly.

"Ah, well, sorry about that. I guess I kinda get myself too much into it." He scratched his head. "I'm just a little confused as to what I've to say, that's all."

"That's okay. Now then, what is your reason for coming here?" She asked.

"It's kind of unclear actually, even for myself." He tilted his head. "First is that I kind of getting tired with the Outside world, but now… I guess I just wanted to enjoy my life here."

"Tired? Why?"

"Tired, well… tired. It's kind of like a getaway, I guess." He shrugged.

Akyuu nodded. "You said you wanted to enjoy your life, but why did you choose to become a teacher in the first place?"

"I needed some money for living, honestly." He smiled sheepishly. "Unfortunately, I'm just a normal college students without any particular skills. I somehow got lucky Keine found me that time. My math is mediocre, but luckily I still got some in me."

I smiled at him. Not only because he mentioned me, but it also looks like he's comfortable enough to call my name in public. "I should be the one who grateful, Yanto. The children had already memorized the multiplication out of their head because of you. Now, they just need more practice to master it."

Akyuu asked more. "I heard from Keine that you're also teaching the Scarlet Devil's little sister, Flandre Scarlet. How is she, in your opinion?"

"She's just like another young children. A little hard to handle, might be because she rarely meets other human or youkai. Aside from that, she's surprisingly smart. I don't have to put too much effort in teaching the basic. She needs more practice, actually."

Akyuu continues to write. "Moving on. Do you have any family back in Indonesia?"

I noticed his façade tighten a bit. "My only family's my younger cousin, which now stayed in the shrine too. I lost my parents 5 years ago due to an accident which I don't really want to tell, at least for now. I'm sorry."

Akyuu looked slightly guilty, and I could feel the same for myself. "I'm really sorry about it as well. If you have any part which you didn't want to answer, you could say it right away."

He smiled weakly. "That's okay."

"So, about your cousin. Does she want to stay as well?"

He shook his head. "She said she wanted to go back, seeing her college is almost starting. She also worries about his family and boyfriend out there. I guess she won't be here for much longer."

"What about her injury? Has it healed?" I asked.

"For the most part. She could walk again, though some of the marks still remains."

"Okay, let's change the topic." Akyuu paused her writing. "So… do you have any ability, Yanto-san?"

As a response, he showed us his weapons and put it on the table. He then describes the blades, how he obtained them, their capability and how to use it. He also showed us the "Jet-Pack", his tools for flying which he obtained from the kappa.

"Though, I still need to do a lot of test to actually know their full power. I have a feeling they still have a lot hidden in them." He admitted while storing the blades back to his pocket-holster.

"Ability is… absorbing and releasing energy…" Akyuu nodded while she wrote. "Apart from that?"

"My… martial art skill is mediocre at best." Yanto admitted. "Apart from that, I guess none."

"But wh-"

"But what about your victory against Sakuya?"

Oh dear… Akyuu beat me to the punch. Yanto looked very surprised as of now.

"Wh-What? How can… wait… it's Aya, right? She told you about this?" he squinted his eyes.

Akyuu gave a nod. "I wanted to know. Someone who defeated the Scarlet Devil's Head Maid has got to be a powerful person. Just how could you defeat her, Yanto-san?"

Yanto seems a little restless, or is it just me? "I guess Aya didn't told you the details, huh. Actually, Sakuya wasn't feeling well that time. I guess she fainted mostly because of her fatigue, not because of my kick or whatsoever."

"A kick? Just that could make her lost consciousness?" Akyuu raised an eyebrow.

"That's why it's gotta be her fatigue. No matter how much power I put on that kick, there's no way in hell that'll be enough."

Akyuu nodded several times. "I think I could understand. Let's change the topic again, shall we? Oh, and you could take a sip first, if you want."

As a response, he chuckled while holding a laugh. "Sorry. I guess I kinda get too serious back there. Ah, do you want some coffee, Akyuu-san? Though, it's Keine's, after all."

She smiled. "I would kindly decline. I've had my fill with the tea."

We decided to pause the interview for a while. We talked about various things, mostly about the condition in the village. Akyuu also managed to ask more about his country. Yanto, in the middle of it, asked Akyuu about the Suzunaan, mainly considering the possibility of a youkai or spirit haunting the place.

"I couldn't tell you much, since my job doesn't mainly revolves around spirits and such." Akyuu admitted. "However, Kosuzu is my friend. I will tell her to be more careful later on."

Yanto smiled in understanding. "That's okay. By the way, it's almost evening, isn't it? Why don't we continue with the interview?"

"Oh, right." Said Akyuu while she grabbed her brush. "Then, Yanto-san, as far as I could notice, you seem to be one of the easiest Outsider to blend in with us. How is that possible, in your opinion?"

I may not realize it if Akyuu didn't mention it. Of course, compared to Outsider like Sanae or Sumireko, he managed to blend in much faster. Not to mention to be on good terms with Reimu and Marisa, and even Mokou and some of the moon-dwellers. Could it be because of his personality, I wonder?

"Okay, first, it's not because I'm a social person, all right? I'm the type who would rather relax all day than have to do some work. You could even call me a lazy person." He chuckled.

It doesn't really seem like that, at least for me. Maybe not a hard worker, but definitely not a lazy person too.

"I guess it's because the people here's very accepting. I'll admit I had some difficulty first, but thankfully I've adapted to some of the norms here. Also, I'm not really a follower of gadgets and stuff."

Akyuu stopped her writing. "Could you elaborate?"

"You see, technologies are the fastest growing thing in the Outside. People always trying to improve it more and more to fits their ever-growing needs. The result is that stuff like this…" he showed us his 'mobile phone'. One of many tools the Outsider have, but his is strangely looked more like a mirror, "…always changing and improving. Every wee- no, every day a new gadget with new feature shows up in the market. Unless you have some very good amount of money, you'll get lost behind." He chuckled. "That's one thing I don't have."

"…and your counter-measures?" Asked Akyuu.

"Just don't follow the trend, the fad, or anything like that. Buy one that fits your need, and then don't buy anymore for the minimum of five years. Or ten years. Or at least until it's fully broken. Of course, you should look into the quality more, if you want it to last longer. They're quite- wait, I mean very fragile. Very, very fragile."

Akyuu continued to write. "Next, what is your view to the current situation regarding humans and youkai in Gensoukyou?"

"Well, this is another hard one." He chuckled. "I guess… it's what we could do best at the moment. Youkai are easy to cause incident, humans are easy to solve it, this all spell-card rules… I guess it's what fit with Gensoukyou now. Rather than trying hard to live together as a whole, why don't we just agree to disagree? That's what I think."

"Then…" Akyuu continued, "…if someone tries to attack you, what will you do, seeing they should be respecting the rules?"

"About that, I have this saying from a certain poet from the Outside, which I follow. That is, if you act good to me, then I'll act good to you. If you don't, well, I'll still try to be good to you. Remember this, though, that even Buddha has his limits."

That was quite the quote. I could only imagine the person as an intellectual.

"Though, I kinda doubt he actually said that, though. Ehehe."

…I take back what I said.

Akyuu continues to write. "Then, this will be the last. What is your plan for the future?"

"Hmm… I guess I'm still going to enjoy my life here. Though, I actually really wanted to explore Gensoukyou, meet the residents, have a chat and tries to understand them. It's kind of a selfish desire, to be honest."

* * *

 **Humans are a pile of… wait, why am I repeating the title again?**

 **This chapter… I guess it's what happens when I actually run out of idea. Well, not entirely, actually. I already knew what I wanted to do next. It's just that I have to somehow plot what happened after Yanto's first danmaku battle. Because of that, it somehow came out pretty short compared to the others. Really, me and my laziness…**

 **The title somehow sums up the main idea of the chapter. I tried to make it so that Akyuu and Keine – and also you too – could understand him more. Although, knowing him, he seems to be hiding lots of thing. Why? Well, it wouldn't be a surprise now, right? Keine seems to also noticing some of it. But does her assumption really correct?**

 **By the way, I hope I didn't make Yanto in this chapter too, whatsthatword… cool? Yeah, I guess that. Even after this, he's still that pessimistic lazy-bum since ever the start. Man, I guess I just can't hold the urge. Wanting your own protagonist to look cool once in a while really is hard to contain. I hope I could manage...**

 **By the way, I noticed in a chapter before, I said that I'm not intending to make a romantic chapter at all. What I actually meant is that particular chapter. I won't deny that Yanto might have his romantic moment later, but it would be later. If I want to make a romantic scene, I wanna make it to feel, I don't know… natural? It's that one where you would think "Oh, of course they would like each other." Not too obvious, but acceptable. Not just that "MEET. BAM. LOVE!" sort of thing. Ah… it's hard to describe…**

 **By the way, I also noticed that I already said by the way 3 times! Oh, that's four times in a row! A new record!**

 ***gets Master-Sparked***

 ***cough* Thanks a bunch, Marisa-*cough*-chan. Now where was I? Oh, and also, I wanted to make a draft for Yanto's interview, sort of like the one in SoPM and PMiSS. Maybe I'll put it in next or later chapter. I hope. There's also a possibility for me to change some part in this chapter, if it somehow doesn't fit with Yanto's profile.**

 **Also, I would like to say thank you in advance, for Mr. Donny Donster. One of his fanfic helped me in writing the interview part. I haven't told him at all, actually, but I kind of using his fanfic as a reference, aside from PMiSS and SoPM. If you see this, o' kind sir, I respectfully give you my thanks.**

 **Well, I guess I ran out of things to say. Anyway, if you have any idea, how crazy that is, don't worry to review or even PM me. I'll try to be online more, but considering how bad the connections here, the reply might be a little long.**

 **Until next time, then.**

 **Oh, and it's also already a year since I started to write this fanfic, huh? YAY! Thank you all for your support. Really, if it wasn't for you, I might have stopped this fanfic already. I don't even know what to give you all as a gift. But, you guys really deserve a good story. Hopefully, I could make this one better to meet your expectation. Please bear with me for more times to come.**

 **Now, for the real closer. Until next time, then.**

* * *

 **Epilogue**

A Tuesday morning in a certain crimson mansion.

"*yawn* Still sleepy…"

A little vampire had just woken up. She still full of her pink sleep-wear from head to toes. She also remembered to wear her bunny slippers. Her brown companion she held tight on her chest.

"Oh right… Onee-sama said not to yawn too wide when in public. It is an unsightly manner…"

It… might be too late to mention that, thought. Currently, she's walking on one of many corridors of the mansion, not even bothered to fly.

"Ah, it's already too bright. Sensei… Onii-chan said not to get too close to windows in the morning, especially in the summer… *yawn*"

Her mind's still half awake. Right now, she's trying to find either a kitchen or her sister. Considering the condition of the head maid, she figured it is the only thing she could do to get some nice, warm cup of tea.

"Onee-sama…" she called, the palm of her hand was on the side of her mouth, "…where are you?"

"Is there something the matter, Little Mistress?"

The vampire turned her face to the sound.

"Who?"

She rubbed her eyes to get a better view. Once she did, she immediately jumped forward to the person in question.

"SAKUYA!" She cheered. "You're healthy again!"

The maid couldn't help but laughed. "Ahaha… thankfully I am, Little Mistress. The medicine really do a wonder."

She slowly dropped the little vampire to the ground until her feet touches.

"Do you want some breakfast?"

"Un!" She nodded happily. "I want omurice!"

"Oh… certainly, Little Mistress." The maid smiled.

The vampire, quite oblivious as she was, noticed the slight pause in the maid's voice. When she realized what it means…

"I-I mean, I want your omurice, Sakuya! I want yours, your omurice's the best!"

The silver-haired woman's eyes widened. Shortly, she let out a breath of air. "Of course, Flan-sama. I'll make you the best breakfast in the world."

"YEAY! I want to help you make it too!"

"It would be a great help."

The two walked slowly to the kitchen with a smile each on their face. Shortly after, the vampire started another conversation.

"Say, Sakuya?"

"Yes?"

"Has O- um, sensei… Yanto-sensei found her sister?"

The head maid puzzled by the random question. Nevertheless, she replied "No, he hasn't. Why is it, Flandre-sama?"

The vampire was deep in her thought. She was thrown by her own choices. On one side, she really wanted to ask her a question, one which almost made her unable to sleep. On the other side, she didn't want the head maid to harbor any ill feelings for her, if she somehow ask it.

"Little-Mistress?" The maid called.

The blonde vampire didn't know the best course of action. But nevertheless, she finally made a decision.

" _I hope…"_ she mused, _"…that everyone could be happy. I hope this doesn't make anyone angry…"_

The maid was going to call for her mistress's sister again, but she suddenly turned her body facing her. A serious façade printed on her eternally young face.

"Sakuya…" she started. She took a deep breath to brace herself for her next question.

"…do you think it's possible… if you're actually Yanto-sensei's little sister?"

"…eh?"

.

.

.

"…that is…"


	13. Chapter 13 - Extra

**Disclaimer : Touhou and all its characters are belonged by ZUN** **and Team Shanghai Alice** **. I only own my OCs and this story. Any similarities on any parts of the story with another fanfic are unintended.**

 **Chapter** **13 : Extra – Character's Profile**

* * *

+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+  
The **Flying Jet-Man  
Yanto Bahar  
**+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+  
 **Occupation:** Mathematic Teacher  
 **Ability:** Absorbing and Releasing Energy  
 **Threat level:** Low  
 **Human friendship level:** High  
 **Main place of activity:** Hakurei Shrine, Human Village and so forth  
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+

A human Outsider who had adjusted his life easily in Gensoukyou. Compared to the other Outsider, he seems to be able to fit in much easier. He said it was because he doesn't really follow the trend of technology (*1). As such, one could imagine him as an old-fashioned human.

He wrapped himself in a rather warm greyish clothes and seen wearing a black bag on his back. He is considerably tall even amongst the male in the village, one trait rarely seen even amongst the Outsider. It was mainly because of his non-Japan nativity.

He decided to stay in the Hakurei Shrine for the time being for unknown reason. Even so, he stated that he doesn't want to return. He often helps in the chores at the Shrine, as well as cooking dinner.

1: He claimed "Well, it's not like I didn't read any news about it or anything. Following the trend's only for rich people."

+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+  
 **Indonesia  
** +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+

One of the many countries in the Outside. Much like Japan, but very different. It is said to have more sea than land and the people were separated in each island. Yanto originated from one of its main island.

If we look at Yanto, we could assume that people of Indonesia were slightly taller than us, and also having a slightly darker skin color. He said that their smile is Indonesia's most popular trait. One of their food is also the most delicious food in the world (*2).

Yanto noted that Japan had tried to invade it once. But, he refused to add further details (*3).

2: Doubtable. But I wanted to try it someday.

3: "It's not good to talk about it anymore. Most of us already forget it anyway." He said.

+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ **  
The Math Teacher of The Village  
** +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ **  
**

Because of a chance encounter with Keine, he works as a supplementary math teacher in the Temple School. The reason is to improve the curriculum in the village, as well as to earn himself some money for living. This caused him to be well known throughout the village.

According to Keine, he also teach the vampire's younger sister, Flandre Scarlet. He claimed to not facing any problems. The vampire's more docile than he thought at first, but only if you didn't provoke her into a fight (*4).

4: Or inviting her to play. She have different views about playing.

+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ **  
Ability  
** +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ **  
**

Yanto wields a knife and a sword, Sabit and Surya. He is capable of absorbing many kinds of energy (*5) with the knife and then release it with the sword as an attack. He is also capable of absorbing magic bullets and then release it with different shape. It is stated that he wasn't able to unlock its full capability and needs further research.

The flaw is that he hasn't able to produce any bullets on his own. As such, his fighting ability is below average. But that doesn't mean he couldn't fight back with his own type of martial art. It is nowhere near the SDM Gatekeeper's level, but he can at least hold his ground against a few person.

Yanto also have a Jet-Pack, one of the many inventions of the kappa. It helps him in flying into the sky, since he's incapable of producing any magic. It is shaped like a normal bag when it's hidden, but its real shape resembles a metallic wings unlike that of a bird.

5: Like magic or heat.

+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ **  
Eyewitness Reports  
** +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ **  
**

"I once saw him running around the village. I hope he doesn't do anything bad." (Anonymous)

He probably has an errand to do. It was best not to be on his way, since he knows martial art.

"His lesson was fun! He didn't scold me when I was wrong, unlike the other teacher I know. Ah, but don't tell it to her, please!" (Florist's daughter)

It was best not to say that out loud. He wasn't fond of praise, and others could be hurt.

"At least he cleans after himself, unlike most of the freeloaders." (Hakurei Reimu)

+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ **  
Countermeasures  
** +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ **  
**

Just like another human, there is no need for countermeasures.

He generally welcomes any human or youkai who wanted to talk to him. He may even help you on occasion, but only if you asked.

He doesn't not distinguish between human nor youkai, as long as you are nice to him. It was best not to provoke him, since he knows martial art. His other ability also have a potential to be dangerous.

* * *

It was almost '18.00'. A couple minutes ago, Aya came to the outside of the shrine and brought a copy of Akyuu's record. It has my picture on top of it, wielding Sabit and Surya while my Jet-Pack's full open. Since I couldn't read kanji, Aya volunteered to read it for me.

"God…"

"So, how is it?"

It was almost '18.00', and I already held my hand for face-palm several times.

"One question." I raised my finger. "Just why in the world does my nickname's "The Flying Jet-Man"? For god's sake, that's weird as hell!"

"Ayaya, don't blame me, okay? The Pure and Honest Shameimaru Aya knew nothing about this." she raised up her palms, sweat-dropped. "Why don't you ask the one who gave her the advice instead?"

My eyes widened when I remembered the first time I heard that nickname, and it's not from Akyuu's record.

"Goddammit… that Marisa…" I finally able to face-palm in peace. I'll give her some beating later.

"Yanto, are you done?! The meeting's not gonna start if you're not here!" called Reimu from the inside.

"Ah, just a second!" I shouted. "Let's go inside, Aya. You're invited as well."

* * *

 **Okay… this marks the record as one of my shortest chapter ever. It's not that I haven't planned about it, however.**

 **A couple editing here and there, and it's finally done. I'll have to admit, copying a person's writing style (Akyuu, or ZUN as the real writer) is hard. Akyuu's style is quite unique. Able to stay serious while making me giggle here and there was a difficult feat. It's like a combination of a serious report, while adding some of her personal opinions. Those opinions able to make it enjoyable to read.**

 **Speaking as someone whose drawing of a sun was more like a bald man's head, I couldn't give you a nice picture of Yanto. Well, maybe I'll try something in Ms. Paint if I have a free time. I hope it won't become a mere doodle in the wall.**

 **I already have some idea for at least a couple chapters next, but I'm afraid I won't be able to post it faster than it should be. In fact, I was only able to finish it now because I had a day free. Seriously, those assignment are really relentless!**

 **Anyone have any advice on how to finish an assignment without wasting so much time? It will be very welcomed.**

 **If you have any suggestion about what I should change in this chapter, or even in the chapter before, mainly the interview part, feel free to comment, review, or even give me PM. I still trying to get some decent connections, but I hope I could reply to you as best as I could.**

 **Until next time, then.**


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer : Touhou and all its characters are belonged by ZUN** **and Team Shanghai Alice** **. I only own my OCs and this story. Any similarities on any parts of the story with another fanfic are unintended.**

 **Chapter** **14 : True Feelings**

* * *

"A _Matsuri_?"

The sun had set. Almost instantly after me and Aya entered the middle room, Reimu starts the meeting. Aside the three of us, she also invited Alice, Marisa and Suika. Currently, we were sitting around the table in the middle of the room, accompanied with a cup of tea each. Mia currently in the kitchen, making us some dinner.

"Wait. You mean, you've never heard of it before?" asked Alice with an eyebrow raised.

"Nah, it's not like that. I know what it is, just haven't been in one." I waved my hand. "I guess I just haven't dig your culture deep enough, is all."

 _Matsuri_ is a Japanese word for festival. As far as I know, Japan was filled with all kinds of it, unlike some country which only celebrate Christmas, Halloween, Ramadhan, or something like that once a year. Almost all regions in Japan have different kinds of matsuri, some might have different types based on the season. There's just so much of it, I can't even bother myself to look up to Google and actually learn about them.

"This summer, just like another summer every year…" said Reimu, continuing her previous explanation, "…the village will hold a summer matsuri this weekend. As the Hakurei Shrine Maiden, I was asked by the village chief to be on the lookout."

"*chuckled* Yeah, 'asked'." Commented Marisa.

" _Guess she couldn't just pass up the opportunity, huh."_ I chuckled. _"Well, if it means I could eat something a little bit fancier once in a while, then no objection from me."_

Reimu frowned slightly at her, before she let out a sigh and continued. "That's why I called you all here today. I want you to help me on the lookout at the matsuri."

There was a pause after she finished her explanation. It was obvious that everyone was feeling confused. It took another couple seconds before someone responded.

"Um, Reimu?" asked Marisa while she raised her hand. "Not sayin' it's a bad idea, but… why-ze?"

"What Marisa meant…" Alice added, "…is we didn't see any reason as to why this particular matsuri needs to be guarded. Almost every year, the matsuri's surveillance were quite lax, and I haven't heard any major incident occurred. So why did you just suddenly decide to take an action?"

As a response, Reimu took a roll of paper from her right sleeve and lay it down in the middle of the table for us to see. It was a map, showing a rather crowded area filed with many small to medium-sized buildings. There is, though, at least 2 or 3 which were bigger than the rest. Another particular characteristic of the map was that it has quite a wide road, compared to the buildings surrounding it.

"This is… the Human Village map?" I asked.

Reimu nodded while circling a rather large are within the map with her hand. It seems to be one of the main roads which connected to the center of the village. The other end of the road was connected to a river.

"With the increasing amount of participants, this year's summer matsuri will be at least twice bigger than before. They were afraid that even with the amount of guards available, it won't be enough to support the entire matsuri." She said.

"Even if they somehow put all of the guards, the village would be impervious to any attack from the outside." Commented Aya, stroking her chin in thought. "This doesn't look good."

"An' don' let me start with their strength." Added Suika, finally spoke after being silent the entire meeting. "The boys lack trainin', they can't even shoo a bunch o' stray *hic* cats!"

"I guess that's because youkai attack has been decreasing as of late, isn't it?" Wondered Alice.

I slightly ignored the chat while looking at the map. I noticed that there's one building which looks familiar to me. The building was at least twice the size of the others, complete with a slightly vast track of land surrounding it. Connecting the dots with my memories, added with a compass on the side of the map, I finally realized.

" _This is… the school? So that means the matsuri will be held right beside it?"_ I wondered.

"Moreover, the village's current situation right now is nowhere near the words 'calm'."

As Aya said that, she reached to an object inside her shirt pocket. As she put it on the map, we realized that it's actually were pieces of black-white photograph. She scattered it around for us to see. One look and I quickly realized the meaning of the content.

X+X

One quick glance and I realized that Yanto knew about these pictures.

"Just yesterday, someone reported that a gang of criminals were wiped out unconscious by unknown individual or group. I quickly flew there to take these pictures first-hand. Weirdly enough, most of them didn't appear to be badly injured, only some were having a rather shallow blade-like scars on their arms and feet. They also felt a pain on the back of their head, so that might be the reason why they're unconscious."

This morning, Aya came to me and showed me the pictures beforehand. She was also the one who passed the village leader's message from Keine to me. Luckily, that was after Yanto went to buy some groceries, so he wouldn't know about it.

"W-Who did this to them?" Asked Alice while she held a picture.

Aya shook her head. "Nobody knows. The victims all said that they 'forgot' or 'didn't recognize' their attacker."

Should I ask him? Or should I wait for the time being?

"Wait a minute-ze." Marisa cut in. "They 'said'? What's that mean?"

"It means that they didn't actually forgot."

All of us averted our gaze to the door inside. There, Mia came in with a tray of food for us.

"Whaddya mean-ze?" confused Marisa.

"Well, first I'll admit it was just my deduction." She said as she put the tray on the table. It consist of several plates of vegetables, fishes and rice. "It was just too weird for me that they all said they didn't know who attacked them. Well, except if it's actually a youkai's doing."

"That's why I believed that they didn't actually 'forgot', but somehow forced to admit otherwise." She continued.

"I was just getting to that part." Aya said, her visage turn to one more serious than before. "When I interviewed them, I could feel that they're actually scared to say something. Unfortunately, I was in front of the village leader that time, so it's impossible for me to prey it by force."

"W-What happened to them now?" asked Yanto, his visage changed slightly.

"They've taken into custody. It turns out they were the village's most wanted criminal, guilty of some cases of robbery, pillaging and the most recent… unproven rape case." She answered.

Everyone's gaze were noticeably hardened.

"Wait… then, why isn't there any effort to bring them down?" asked Alice. "A group like them shouldn't be that hard to found, right?"

"That's because the lack of evidence." I answered. "I would be happy to just jump there and finish them off. Unfortunately, without proper evidence it'll be easy for them to be free from jail again… which they already did several times before."

"If that happens, they could frame their attacker for false accusation, or worse… planned assault!" Mia said.

Well, they didn't call the place 'Human Village' for nothing. They have their own rules, just like another place on earth. As much as I hate it, I couldn't just go against it.

"Luckily this time…" Aya informed, "…they didn't seem to acknowledge their attacker, or simply decided not to tell us anything about it. Moreover, they suddenly decided to admit their wrong doings in the past, making it possible to get them into jail after all this time."

I could see everyone's visage changed slightly. Some were shocked, some were relieved, some were confused.

"Well, that guy sure leave 'em some fright, if that's what happened." Commented Suika. She grinned after a chug of sake. "I'm beginning to like the guy more n' *hic* more."

"W-Wait right there… if that's so, then doesn't that mean the culprit still roamin' out there?" Marisa asked while she raised her hand.

"The culprit was the least of our worries, as a matter of fact." Said Aya. "Since this gang is one of the strongest in the village, they acted as 'underground' protector – or 'backstage', 'fake', whatever you call it – for most of the store around the village, especially in the market area. They basically collect protection money from each store as a payment for, well… protection, against another gang who wanted to do them harm. Since now they're out of commission, then…"

"The other gang members will be free to do what they want!" Alice gasped.

"That's where we come to help." I stood up. "This weekend, we suspected that the other gang will make their move, so it's up to us to keep an eye on them."

Everyone sported a thoughtful expression. It was clear that they were considering this plan inside their head. Suddenly, a person raised a hand.

"Then… I have a plan." Proposed Yanto.

* * *

It's already night, and everyone already went back home or fell asleep.

The plan was pretty simple, actually. I even embarrassed to call it a plan. Basically, each of us will patrol the matsuri according to each of our own ability. Me, Mia and Reimu will patrol the land by walk, since it'll be easier to identify every person we encounter. Plus, Reimu said she'll gather another enforcement tomorrow to help us covering the area.

Marisa said that she and Alice might not be able to help us at all. Alice will be busy performing a doll show at the center of the matsuri, and Marisa will act as her helper. If that so, then so be it. Alice's stand will be our main rendezvous point where we'll meet, exchange info and such. Marisa could also help on the look-out when her hand's free, since it'll mostly be a one-man show. Also, Alice's ability might help us one way or another on a later date.

Aya's flying skill is very important. Having an eye in the sky means we could cover wider area faster. Suika could also help by becoming mist. But, since mist will look weird on a hot summer night, I suggested her to stay behind Alice's stand for most of the time. She could still help by sending an army of mini-oni around the matsuri.

Nobody seems to object my suggestion. Though, some of them also added their own thought in the bowl. In the end, we decided to end the meeting with a plan on our head. But…

"*sigh* One problem after another…"

I never thought what I did would backlash this much. At first, I only wanted to get back Akyuu's purse and dad's watch, is all. Okay, maybe I get a little overboard with making them unconscious, plus forced them to admit their past mistake. But, think about it. They're the one who took me and Akyuu's stuff, so it's up to me to get it back, right? Moreover, they also trapped me that day, and even went as far as giving the first punch! I guess it's only fair for me to give them some payback, right? Right?

Ah… who am I talking to anyway?

Makes me wonder, though. Keine didn't tell me anything about the incident when I went there this afternoon. Being the village's so-called protector, she should've known about this event. Maybe I could ask her later.

"Hey."

I looked to my back and saw my cousin, standing behind me. On her hand is a tray with two cups of tea.

"Can't sleep?" She asked. "You'll catch a cold, sitting on the porch this late at night. Not to mention you're not wearing your hoodie."

She put the tray in front of me, then took a seat on another pillar, facing me.

I smirked. "There's no way I'm gonna catch a cold in this kind of weather. By the way, why're you still up?"

"I could ask the same to you." She smiled. "Guess the meeting's still on your head, huh? I guess I couldn't blame you for that."

*sigh* As expected of my own cousin. She understand me like the back of her own hand.

"Or is it what happened yesterday, what you're really thinking?"

"…eh?"

"Oh, come on… don't give me that look." Mia smirked. "You really think no one would find out? You should've look at yourself in the mirror that time, when Aya showed us that picture."

Oh… my… god…

"Dammit…"

"So, mind telling me the truth?" she asked.

I couldn't held back a face-palm. Sh*t. Why should Mia knew of all people?

"Before that…" I looked at her from within my finger, "…did anyone else know?"

" _Entah_." She shrugged, shaking her head while doing so. "But judging from their face, I'll say probably Reimu and Suika noticed it."

Oh… god… that's the second face-palm.

"*sigh* Fine already…"

X+X

In the end, he told me what exactly happened that afternoon. Akyuu's purse, his father's watch, and lastly, the alleyway incident. He told me loud and clear, even I have to remind him not to wake Reimu up.

Yanto… he's always bad at lying. No matter how small or insignificant it is, you could always tell if he has something in his mind. When Yanto finally decided to tell the truth, he'll explain it like there's no tomorrow. Every detail he could say, he'll say it. Deep down, I knew he never liked to lie.

After he finished, I couldn't help but smiled. "*sigh* If that's so, then it's okay. After all, the one in the wrong were those guys. Just imagine it like you brought down God's judgment for their wrong doings."

His head slumped down in exasperation. "Please, don't say it that way…"

Oops, maybe I went too far with my analogy. "L-Look. What I meant is, stop blaming yourself already. They stole Akyuu's purse and the watch, so it's only normal for you to want it back."

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean it was right to give them some beating… even though it feels good as hell…" he answered, his face still looking downward.

Oh god… 'it feels good'… that was so like him. Okay, okay… time to get serious.

"Yanto, look at me."

"Hmm?" he raised his head.

"I got a question for you. Do you like it, living here?" I asked.

Not-so-unexpectedly, his face turned to one of annoyance. "This kind of question again? Please, get more creative."

"What's wrong with asking that?" I scolded him.

"Nothing, nothing." He dismissed, his face went even more annoyed. "I like it here, okay? Now, I'm not gonna tell you the details 'cause you know I'm suck at it. Moreover, I'm not really in the mood so you just gotta be satisfied with that. Okay?"

Hearing it, I realized he couldn't be more honest than that. For you who wanted to understand men, then let me give you an advice: the simpler his words are, the more likely he's telling the truth.

Or maybe in this case… the more annoyed he becomes.

"Hmm? What's with that smirk?"

"O-Oh, it's nothing, really." Phew, almost lose my control there. "By the way, have you found another clue?"

"Not even a dust." He shook his head. "You know, I'm starting to doubt that she's here. It's even more likely that she's never even there in the first place."

I raised an eyebrow. "You mean, 'never exist'? Why is that?"

"Well…"

…

" _So, have you found anything, Yanto-sensei?" asked the purple-haired chronicler._

 _The sun was almost set. After the interview, Akyuu handed me a copy of one of her chronicles. It was filled with detailed biography of all the villagers who lived from at least 20 years ago until today. Keine figured that maybe my sister once lived in this village some time ago, but already left before I came here. Thus, she asked Akyuu to widen the search gap._

 _The chronicle she gave me were quite different from the one she made. Apparently, it was arranged by members of her household before she was born. When she had matured enough, the task to complete it was handed to her. The difference from her own creation lies on its content. This particular chronicle only dwells about things that happened in the village. The contents were also more formal than her writings – according to her, since I don't understand kanji. Maybe that's why ZUN never released something like this._

" _Should I help you read it? I could give you a brief description if you want." Offered Keine._

 _Let out a tired sigh, I closed the book and handed it back to Akyuu. "The picture alone were already enough. Thanks, but… even with that, I doubt I could find her anyway."_

 _The two looked at me questioningly._

" _You see, I already had some hunch ever since your first word when you handed me this chronicle. What's did you say again, to be precise?" I asked._

" _Um…" pondered Akyuu. "That is… 'it's quite rare for a lost infant to be found stranded in Gensoukyou'?"_

 _I nodded. "That alone already made the possibility smaller. Plus, Keine also said the number of stranded human is decreasing as of late, right?"_

 _The silver-haired teacher nodded. "Right. Though, that doesn't mean your little sister isn't one of them."_

" _I'll admit that's true." I turned to the chronicler. "Akyuu, you explained earlier that you put the first date of sighting – for Outsider – right below their names, right? I kind of made a mental-mark inside my head to double-check them."_

" _Yes, though…" she mumbled slightly. "…you know the kanji, Yanto-sensei?"_

 _I shrugged. "I remembered it."_

 _Keine widened her eyes in a slight shock. "You have photographic memories too, Yan- I mean, sensei?"_

" _Nah…" I shook my head. "It's just… I kinda have some knacks with patterns. Anyway, that's not the problem. After I checked them all, connecting it with my little sister's possible age when the time of their first sighting, made me realize that the chance are becoming even smaller than before. Then, comes the main problem."_

 _The two waited attentively for their answer._

" _Their hair in the picture… no one matches my mother's description."_

…

"Okay, okay, stop right there." I held my hands up. "Their _hair_? You sure that's your only clue?"

"Well, if mom's said was true, then yeah." He nodded. "I mean, people with mom's hair color were already rare in Indonesia – not counting the tourist – let alone in Japan. Okay, I admit we're in Gensoukyou, and all of Gensoukyou's denizens have weird hair color and so on and bla-bla-bla whatever." He trailed. Then, his face becoming more serious.

"Think about it. Just how much is a chance of a foreigner in Japan get stranded here?"

"Ugh… you're right…" I admitted. No matter how much I hate to admit it, he's right. "Still, what about hair-coloring?"

He just shrugged in silence, sign of unsure.

"I expected as much. Well, I guess… there's no point of thinking about it too much." I dismissed.

As I looked to the side, I noticed that the moon's in perfect position for night-viewing. Not too high, not too low, radiating the shrine just right. Even though it's not full moon or even crescent moon, it still looks beautiful.

"I never noticed it before…" I trailed. "…but the moon here looks really stunning, isn't it?"

"Yeah…" He agreed, looking at the same view. "No pollutions, near-zero lights… you can't ask more than this."

I glanced at his face, just enough to see his expression. His complexion was calm, more so than the usual. There's no annoyance, scowl, or the usual stoic frown from after _that day_. No smile, no laugh, just… a serene silence.

"You do like it here." I remarked.

He closed his eyes. "I can't say no to that. Some said that the shrine has this kind of air around it which makes it calmer than-"

"No, not that." I cut in. "Here. You like living in Gensoukyou, more so than the Outside."

He paused while looking at me. I couldn't really tell his expression. Shortly, he answered. "That was… too obvious."

"So, you don't want to come back with me after the matsuri?"

"Guess not."

"No matter what?"

"…yep."

"…no chance?"

"…nope."

*sigh* I should've known.

"H-Hey, Mia? You going to sleep?" he asked.

"No, I'm taking my sword. Just stay here and prepare your own."

X+X

This is almost a routine when we were younger.

"Come on, Yanto! Show me what you got!" I slashed my katana towards his head.

"Fine, fine!" He skidded left while parrying it with his karambit.

Ever since we were small, we always have a spar whenever we could. Before school, after school, before dinner… I guess after dinner's the time for homework. Anyway, there isn't a single day when we didn't train.

"Let's see how fast you've become!" He proclaimed as he thrust his keris towards me. I simply shifted my body so that his arm missed my stomach.

I scoffed. "That comes from someone who stopped fighting ten years ago!"

With my left hand, I held his arm in place while my arm swung sideways, aiming for a hit. He parried it again with his karambit.

He smirked. "Looks like we're on a tight spot, both of us."

 ***SMACK!***

"GAH!"

Luckily, his face isn't secured from my foot. He took a couple of step backward while rubbing his face in pain.

You might think it's slightly crazy and dangerous. Two teenagers suddenly unleashed their weapons towards each other with no prior reason. No body protection, no supervisor, no medic, and don't even think with their unique shape Yanto's weapon couldn't be lethal. Well, what could we say? We have grown to it. Or should I say, grown _with_ it.

"Hey…" he called, "…it's not like I never train again after that!"

"Hoo…" I narrowed my eyes at him. "So you're saying that, after you run away from home, you still have the guts to actually _touch_ any blade?"

He widened his eyes. "Okay, okay, just calm down…" he held his hands in a placating manner. "Look, Mia… I know you still sour because of me just leaving so suddenly. I'm sorry if I someho- WHOA!"

X+X

Her sword moved so fast, I didn't even noticed before it appeared one meter in front of me. Luckily I was fast enough to jump back. I could see her gripping the blue katana tight- no, tensely. Her upper face's concealed by the tree's shadow. Her chest moving up and down, her breath's ragged.

When she looked up, I was shocked to see her actually crying. Tears were already running on top of her cheek. My eyes widened from the sheer emotion she showed.

"Sour? SOUR?! YOU F*CKIN' CALL THIS SOUR?! YOU… PIECE OF SH*T!"

Out of nowhere, she swung her blade towards me. Multiple times, her aim becoming more random by each slash.

"I'm not SOUR… I'M MAD! MAD AT YOU WHO JUST… JUST… GONE!"

She continued her slash. Her eyes were closed so she couldn't see where she's going. Yet, her body keeps walking towards me.

"Mia…"

"SHUT UP! YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT I FEEL!"

I couldn't bear watching her like this.

"Stop, please…"

"SHUT UP! SHUUUT UUUUP!"

I can't take it anymore. What happens next, it's as if reasoning just left my head. When she held her hands high, I took the chance to kick her katana, forcing her to drop it. Then, I ran towards her and tackled her down.

*THUMP!*

If anyone saw us now, it would look like I was going to rape her. Even so, I don't care. What's on my head is the fact that I just made my family… my cousin cried. I've hurt Mia. She looks to be in so much pain. Her tears were still running down, her face is a combination of pain and anger and… sadness…

…oh f*ck…

"Why…*sniff*" She cried. "Why did you run away?! Does living with me *hic* not enough for you?! Answer me, _Kak Yanto_! ANSWER ME!"

" _That's the first time she called me that… since we're little…"_ My eyes widened.

Mia tried to suppress her cry by shielding her face with her arm, even though it didn't do anything. She sniffled, wailing for at least three minutes.

When I thought she had calmed down, I carefully positioned her to sit on the grass. Mia looked at me angrily with her red, teary eyes.

"What?" She questioned, albeit with a little shout. "Are you going to just… say 'I'm sorry' again, just like… every time?!"

I took a deep breath before I looked at her. "Honestly, I don't know what to say. Back then, I only want to find my sister. I don't have any intention to leave you alone."

"Then… it's the same again this time, huh?!" She scowled. "You… *sniff* you gonna stay here while I *hic* go back home, alone again… Is that it?!"

"Mia, I-"

"SAY IT ISN'T SO!"

The guilt I've felt from the start, it keeps growing each second. There's no mistaking it, I'm the one at fault. I was the one who ran away from home, trying to find my sister and parent's whereabouts. Three years later, after I reunited with my parents, I managed to be in the same school as her, though we lived in separate house.

Long story short, Mia changed. She rarely smiles like she used to, sometimes even looked at me with a scowl on her face. Mia became more serious, although still sociable with the others except for me. I sh*t you not, but I can count how many times we have a chat in a week with my fingers. I sh*t you not, but I can count just how many of those chat were some useless greetings. It's as if we've never even met before.

Now she's the closest to me she has ever been, literally begging me not to leave her alone. It's my fault for making her cry.

No matter what's the reason, it's still wrong.

"Mia…" I wiped her tears with my right thumb. "I can't come back with you."

"But why?!" she cried.

"There's, um… there's something, how should I explain it… um…" Damn, it's hard to find the right word! "A-Anyway, there's something I have to do here, it's extremely important… and it's not about my sister at all, it's much more important, you get it?"

She still had that same expression on her face, if not worse.

"Look. I can't explain it to you what the heck it is 'cause it's top secret, okay? All you need to know is that it's important."

Still the same.

"The point is, the point would be that- oh, for f*ck sake, I hate my explaining skills!"

Slowly, I pulled her into a hug. I also rubbed her back to calm her down. "Mia… me living here doesn't mean that I won't come back."

"*sniff* You won't?"

"Well, I'll admit I'll be busy here, but that beside the point." I shrugged. "I mean, you are my family, and I can't simply leave you alone, now can't I?"

I broke the hug and gazed into her red, teary eyes. "How about this? In at least a month, my college will start. I'll go back to finish my last semester and maybe I'll meet you sometimes. How's that sound?"

I could see her expression lifted slightly. "You sure with that? Won't you make Yukari angry?"

Almost instantly, the said gap youkai showed half of her upper body through her, well, gap.

I could only smirked. "*sigh* _Panjang umur…_ "

"Well, I don't know about that, Mia." Yukari answered. "I mean, going in and out every day does sound a little bo~ring and counter-productive."

"I only got one more class to finish before I can graduate." I explained. "So in theory, I'll only go to campus at least once or twice a week."

Yukari pulled her 'thinking' face, as if considering my suggestion. "Well, if you put it that way… maybe I could fit it in my schedule."

"There's a cake shop near campus."

"Okay…"

"Which also serve ice cream, soft-serve."

"Mm-Hmm…"

"With hot chocolate imported from Belgium and Swiss."

"Deal."

I looked back to Mia, already stopped her crying. "See? Wasn't so hard after all."

X+X

I… lost… In the end, I couldn't bring him back with me.

"Come on, stop crying… okay?" He pleaded while his finger wiped the tears in my eyes. "What will John said if he found out you cried like this? Won't be a joke, right?"

But… I guess it's all right.

"Fine." I tried to smile. "Only if you buy me those cake too."

"Heck no. I barely got any money left outside."

"Tsk. Cheapskate."

"Fat-ass."

"Wanna die?"

"Gori… sorry."

* * *

A calm Friday afternoon.

There is nothing unusual happening inside the Human Village. The villager, which obviously human, were doing whatever they were doing just like every other day. Buying groceries, selling groceries, cooking, eating, walking, sitting, not sitting… but that's beside the point.

You might notice that the Human Village in Gensoukyou, compared to another village in any part of the world, has a very distinctive difference. One being the assimilation between the culture from the inside and the technology from the Outside. Having almost zero connection with our world, the people's only knowledge comes from stuff which found themselves stranded in, whether it's on purpose or not.

Now, I will take an example on how different the village is on the medical section. Today, you could almost find at least one drug store – the legal one, of course – on every big road in a city. In the normal village, there still at least one inside each village. If it doesn't happen, you could still find some first aid kit inside a small hospital.

In more 'remote' village, most people don't have that convenience. In order to get a medication, sometimes you have to look for herbal inside the forest, not to mention having a decent knowledge regarding which one could cure you and which one could give you a rash on your butt. It is literally finding a hay in the needle-stack.

In Gensoukyou however, something a little different takes place. Just like another common village, there are doctors who takes care of people's health problem and also sold drugs and such. Still, their skill and technology couldn't compare with modern day's engineering. That's where the lunarian shows up.

Yagokoro Eirin, The Brain of The Moon, provides varieties of drugs, ointments and any other medical elixir – not the Hourai Elixir, of course – which she made by herself. Then, she sell it to villagers who really needs it. Sometimes she also make vitamins and cough syrup. You couldn't just keep a living with money from extreme medical situation, now can you?

Other times, she also treats people just like a doctor was supposed to. In order to do so, the patient must travel deep into the Bamboo Forest of the Lost. Of course, one should have strong enough body constitution to venture without getting lost. Sometimes the white-haired girl comes to help, sometimes she doesn't. So, what happens to people that, let's say, isn't strong enough to go there?

Fortunately, Eirin have a solution right under her bed. Eientei have multitudes of bunnies, some of them were smarter and more capable than the others. One bunny which became her assistant and also apprentice, takes the roll of delivering the medicine to the village. She also sells them on the street. Of course, walking around the village as a youkai might bring some unwanted attention. So, she goes there with disguise. Simple.

Today as usual, you could see her walking on the street, carrying a big wooden box filled with medication of the sort. Purple-ish Japanese male clothes, added with bandages to cover her visible arms and legs to the toes, makes you wonder just how could she manages to hide her assets. Hair tied to a bun, topped with an ajirogasa to cover her long, rumpled bunny ear, and even the white-wolf tengu would recognize her as an ordinary, humble peddler.

"The sale's going pretty good today." She mumbled happily. "I guess I could take a breather for the day."

The humble peddler walked to the gates of the village, onwards the Bamboo Forest. On her journey, she casually mumbled things to herself.

"I wonder what's for dinner today. Hopefully today's carrot will be delicious. Oh! If I walk faster, maybe I could have some lunch as well! Carrot stew, here I come!"

And so she did. Nearing the forest entrance, she slowed to take some breath.

"Thankfully, Mia already healed for the most part. If she didn't, I still have to deliver her medicine today again. How troublesome…" she let out a sigh.

"But man, Yanto sure is weird." She trailed. "How could he knows about all of us if we haven't even met before?"

"Could you repeat that last part?"

Jerking her head to the left, she found the last person she wanted to meet that day. Resting her body on a bamboo pole, she folded her arms on her chest, smirking haughtily while doing so.

The peddler swallowed her saliva, trying to calm herself. She pulled down her ajirogasa, covering her face. "I-I'm sorry miss, but we already ran out of-"

"Cut the chit-chat and let's get straight to the point, shall we…" The person straightened her body. "Reisen?"

Reisen's façade became serious. There is no point for another bluff, seeing this person already knew about her identity.

"Well, I can't say I'm not surprised seeing you here." She put down her box, took off her hat and released her long, light-purple hair. "Sakuya."

"What is it that you want?" she asked.

"I need to know what you know." The maid answered. "What is it did you hear about him?"

The rabbit slightly surprised, curious as to why the maid in front of her wanted to know such information. Nevertheless, she didn't care. "Sorry. A doctor as well as her assistant shouldn't reveal their patient's secret."

The maid anticipated this. It wouldn't be easy to prey any information from a former Moon Defense Corps Rabbit. If things go south nevertheless, there's one thing she could do.

"Then, how about a Spellcard Battle?" Sakuya proposed. "Surely your master wouldn't give you much of a scolding if you actually lose. Then again, Spellcard Battle was and still a legal way to finish a conflict in Gensoukyou. Ah, but that doesn't mean that I looked down on you in any way."

Reisen gave a thought for a second. She didn't want to have any duel at all, be it physical or the usual bullet hell. If she tried to run away now, there's a fair chance of it will be developed into a battle.

She could try to hide into the Bamboo Forest, but there's a problem: Sakuya is blocking her entrance. Even if she used her power over insanity on the maid, she could easily stop the time and aim for a hit. The odds are not on her today.

The rabbit let out a sigh. "Very well, I accept." She straightened her stance. "Before that, out of topic."

"Hmm?"

"How many people have you stabbed with that knives of yours?" she asked.

The maid smirked.

"Can you recall every plate of fried rice you've had in your life?" she retorted.

"Ten." The rabbit answered casually. "I prefer carrots, actually." She then pointed her index finger towards the maid, mirroring a gun.

"At least, Yanto used some carrots for the side dish."

* * *

 **What? I'm still alive, you ask? Well, if getting myself under piles and piles of campus work, then yeah, I'm alive.**

 **Back to the topic, how you doin' my good reader? I hope things have been good for you. Since I heard a lot of people moaning about how 2016 is one of the worst year ever and hoped it to quickly went away, I figured to give you one last chapter before the new year. Hope it could release some of your stress or whatever. If however, your stress keeps growing because of it instead of reducing, NormalMortal holds no responsibilities considering the matter. Please remain seated and consult to your personal advisor to get some personal advisories regarding your personal issues which doesn't really have to be issued, personally.**

… **um…**

… **what's this about again? Oh yeah, the chapter.**

 **I guess you could see where's this story is going, after you looked the first part of the chapter. Maybe the matsuri chapter will come in another two or three chapter after this. Hopefully I could finish it faster than before. Hopefully.**

 **Now, about Yanto's college. I actually remembered it some time ago, but only able to write it now. This way, he won't have any problem with his education, plus I could possibly getting one of two chara to come to the Outside. I figured I could make something interesting out of it, but that's for another time.**

 **Yanto's past is actually far more complicated than what he explained above. I wouldn't open it soon, though. I still have plan for upcoming chapters.**

 **I noticed that the chapters were becoming too OC-centric as of late. My first intention was to getting know each chara one by one, but I guess I went too far. I will try to make it not too OC-centric on the upcoming chapter. Please bear with me.**

 **For the starter, I planned to make my first ever danmaku battle in this story. But before that, time to re-read some other fan-fiction for reference.**

 **And with that, ends my last chapter in the 2016. Happy new year, everyone. Thanks for all your support this year. I hope there'll be no more gorillas sacrificed next year. Hopefully his soul rest in peace, for he died for our sins.**

… **I'm getting sidetracked again, didn't I? Well, whatever.**

 **With that, NormalMortal, signing out!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer : Touhou and all its characters are belonged by ZUN** **and Team Shanghai Alice** **. I only own my OCs and this story. Any similarities on any parts of the story with another fanfic are unintended.**

 **Chapter** **15 : This Chapter Start With The Usual Scream**

* * *

"AAAAAHHHH!"

"COME BACK HERE!"

Well, hello again everyone! How you doin' these past few days? Hope you enjoying your life, whether it's a vacation or a bone-cracking work, or simply lazing around in front of your PC! Speaking of life, it sure is damn hot this time of day, especially in Friday.

"I'M SORRRYYYYY!"

"YOU WILL FRIGGIN' PAY FOR THIS!"

Oh, by the way, that woman who sounds hella angry? She's chasing me, the protagonist, right the hell now. Red eyes, short red hair with blue bows with red trimming. Black long-sleeved shirt with the same trimming. Dark red skirt along with black and red boots. She also wears a red-blue capelet that covers part of her face. Though, said face was being held on her hands.

"CAN WE JUST TALK ABOUT THIS NORMALLY?!"

"HELL NO!"

She is The Rokurokubi Horror, Sekibanki.

"DAMMIIITT! I'M TOO YOUNG TO DIE WHILE CARRYING SIIIIIIIIIINNN!"

*record scratch* *freeze frame*

And yup, that's me. Your friendly neighborhood, Yanto Bahar. You're probably wondering how I ended up in this situation. I think it's best if we look back an hour ago to see just what goes wrong.

*time-shift sfx*

* * *

Almost 12 o'clock, lunch time.

It was only me, Mia and Reimu on the shrine today. We were just lazing around for the most part. Nothing to do, no motivation to even think something. Until Reimu said…

"Let's have lunch."

Mia and I both know how good Reimu's intuition is compared to your average weather channel. So, that settles it, we're having a lunch. But then, Mia said…

"Did we forget to buy groceries?"

That's when my friggin' memories screamed 'Oh yeah!' and the other part of my brain just face-palmed in my stupidity, however they do it anyway. After we checked, the only thing left was exactly five eggs. That's when my creative part of me said…

"Let's make some sunny-side up!"

Being the gentlemen I am, I decided to give two to each girls and only one for me. Being the gentlemen I am, I was also the one who distribute the rice for everyone. It goes without saying that mine was one and a half times more than them, but you guys can keep a secret, right?

Anyway, after lunch I went to the village to buy some groceries while taking a stroll. But suddenly…

"UGGHH!"

Just before I enter the village, I felt a strange, sickly feeling in my stomach. It was strong enough to actually topple me down if I didn't get a hold on a wall. That was when my brain screamed 'Just WTF is wrong?!'

I reached a quick conclusion that there's something really wrong about those eggs, since I cooked those rice yesterday and they still smells quite normal so it's gotta be the eggs. This is where it gets confusing.

" _Okay, so Mia's the one who asked about the groceries when looking for ingredients. When I looked at the upper cabinet with her, we only found five perfectly normal looking eggs, so- wait…_

… _I always put the eggs in the lower cabi-!"_

"UUUUUUGGGGGHHH!"

I was forced to stop thinking 'cause it felt worse each minutes. The problem increased when that sickly feeling rose up to my throat. That's when the alarm goes off.

" _CODE RED! CODE RED! Houston, you have a problem!"_

In the moment of chaos, I ran along the wall of the village, trying to find a garbage can of some sort. Heck, even a hole on the ground is better than nothing. Sh*t goes haywire when it goes to my mouth. I thought to myself _"Dammit! After that corner, then!"_

After that, I released it. All of it, every milligrams of it, and…

…um…

…for the reader, please don't try to imagine it. It's not an advice, but more like an instruction. Believe me, it's for your own good.

Anyway, thankfully that feeling was gone the moment I stopped doing the deed. That was when I open my eyes to see if there's anyone around, and there was one.

A head.

On the ground.

Below my spew.

Damn.

* * *

*another time-shift sfx*

And that brings me to this.

"SOMEBODY HEEEELPP!"

Yep, running away from a flying Japanese Dullahan, clearly not the best option there is. Unfortunately, the stupid me just have to forgot to bring my Jet-pack just because I wanted to take a stroll once in a while. Stupid me, stupid me.

"For God sake, why did you even leave your head there in the first place?!" I shouted, asking in desperation.

"It's up to me where I want to put my head!" She answered angrily. "Now, prepare for your doom!" The Rokurokubi pulled out a red-black card and declared it. "Spell Card! **[Neck Sign "Close-Eye Shot!"]** "

The red-haired head suddenly flew away from her hand with the severed neck elongated, following the head like a snake. From the hole on her body, thin red lasers shot out to every directions.

"Yikes!"

I ran and ran and ran, but that headless body kept shooting and following me. I even tried to zigzag, but those lasers keep limit of my movement! Oh, have I mentioned the head were also following me?

"Come on now, just stay there so I can beat you down!"

Oh, hell no. I still got some tricks up my sleeve. I gotta try what I discovered yesterday! Looking back to the severed body, I waited for the right moment.

" _Distance to the head, distance to the body… now!"_

Brandishing my weapons, I caught one of the laser with my knife. Then with my sword, I concentrated and aimed to the head.

"Take this! **Disproportionate Retribution!** "

A red laser almost twice bigger than the one I absorbed shot out from Surya. It managed to hit the Rokurokubi's head near her eyes.

"Gyah!"

The Spell halted. Now's my chance!

"Ugh, that damned… huh?! Wh-Where did he go?"

The red-haired Rokurokubi placed her head back to its place. She glanced left, right and to other direction.

"Just where did he disappeared to?!" Sekibanki scratched her hair in confusion and annoyance. "Damn it… I will make him pay next time!"

Floating away back to the village, the Rokurokubi returned in dejection. When she finally goes far enough, I came out from my hiding.

"Man, that was lucky." I sighed in relieve after I landed. "Thank god I found this tree. Should've thought about the surroundings before I do it."

~~~1+1=10~~~

 **Sudden Trivia: Skills**

In the 10.5 installment of the series, the **Scarlet Weather Rhapsody** , ZUN and the Twilight Frontier added a new feature for the fighting games: **Skillcards.** It allow players to increase the amount of damage dealt or change properties of special moves, or replace default special moves with another attack.

The author decided to take the liberty and modified it a bit. **Skills** are treated like Specials in a fighting game. It was a little similar in nature to Spell Cards, but doesn't need any card declaration to perform. It could range from something like Reimu's Ascension Kick, Marisa's Grand Stardust, or even Patchouli's Summer Red.

~~~1+1=10~~~

I discovered this skill yesterday back at the SDM. At the dinner, Patchouli theorized that the reason I couldn't make bullets from thin air is because the density of energy, either spiritual or magical, is still too low. That is why the energy just go in and instantly left if I didn't try to hold it. Until I find a way to store them for more than 5 seconds, I won't be able to make any bullets.

After a quick scan – I don't really know what she did, she just hovered a magic circle above my weapons – Patchouli discovered their second ability, 'Partial Energy Manipulation'. With help from magical or spiritual energies roaming in the air, I could enhance any bullets I absorbed beforehand to a certain extent. This include, for example, their speed and size.

Keyword: enhance. The laser I shot earlier became almost twice larger because I was able to absorb enough energy beforehand. This proves that I wasn't able to multiply the energy or speed by any fold. The only thing I did was adding the energy absorbed and mix it together with the energy inside the bullet. That's why we called it 'Partial'.

"*sigh* Well, whatever. I'm just glad I went home before Remilia had a chance to name this new skill…" I chuckled. "Wait a minute. If one egg made me like that, then how about those two?"

* * *

 ***BAM!* *BAM!***

"MIAAAA, HURRY UUUUUP!"

"JUST A LITTLE… MMOOOOOREEE…"

"IT'S ALREADY ON THE EDGE! IT'S ON THE EDGE! OH NOOOOOO!"

* * *

"Well, not my problem." I shrugged. "I just hope they don't come out from the other end, but… still not my problem."

Looking around, I'm surprised at how far she chased me. Bamboo Forest of the Lost is no mere walk from the village. I better hurry back to the village before it's dark. Wait…

"Huh, it's that… Sakuya?"

As I glanced up, I noticed the blue-y maid flew on a rather slow movement towards the Bamboo Forest. It seems that she didn't notice me since her eyes are too fixated to her front. She then descended just before the forest border.

" _My Aya sense is tingling… it smells like a great scoop!"_ I smirked as I went back hiding on top of the tree.

Sakuya glanced left and right, seemingly looking or waiting for someone. Probably Mokou or one of the Eientei crew, since they know the way inside by heart. She let out some air before resting her body on one of the trunk.

" _It's been fifteen minutes… just who did she waited for anyway?"_ I wondered as I looked at my watch. That maid's patience is amazing! No wonder she could keep up with such bratty mistress.

"Who said that?"

"Eek!" Sh*t, I felt chill ran down my spine!

"…maybe just my imagination."

*sigh* Thank god she didn't notice. Damn maid and her sensitive senses.

I almost gave up on spying her 5 minutes later before I noticed someone else was walking through the same path as I did. The guy looks like another everyday peddler, wearing traditional Japanese clothes, straw hats, and carrying a rather big box on his bag. Probably an antique good seller or something. Although…

" _Why is it… he looks rather too slim for a man… and why does he walk towards the Bamboo Forest anyway?"_

Luckily the guy didn't notice me on the tree. I continued watching him until he was being confronted by Sakuya. He looks shocked rather than being confused. Unfortunately I can't hear what they're saying because of the distance.

" _Hmm? He reached for his hat. What is he- wait, Reisen?!"_

The formerly presumed guy threw her hat to the ground, revealed her signature long lavender hair which almost reach to the ground. Two long rumpled ears standing like broken fishing rods. A pair of red eyes etched on her face.

" _No wonder she looks familiar. I read about her before on the manga!"_

The medicine-maker rabbit pointed her index finger to the maid. As a response, the devil's hound dog took her own stance. I almost shivered in anticipation. This will be my first time watching live danmaku show!

* * *

"Three hit?" Proposed the gray-haired.

"Fine by me." Agreed the purple-haired.

The two had come to an agreement. Now they each waited for the other to make the first move. Five seconds of silence feels like forever. The eternity ended by a spread-shots by the bunny. The maid swiftly ran to the side to avoid it.

Reisen kept her aim pointed to the maid's frame. Sakuya meanwhile focused on her surroundings. She spotted a hurdle in front of her: a bamboo. The maid surprisingly _ran_ upwards on its trunk several steps before she jumped and threw dozens of knife.

"Whoa-wow!"

The bunny hopped backwards like a rabbit she were. She was forced to jump and flew to avoid the last dozen of blades.

"Phew…" She wiped her own sweat. "That was close back there…"

" _At least the box didn't get hit. Master will scold me big time if that happens."_ She sighed in relieve.

"You don't have to worry."

Reisen gazed forward and noticed her one opponent, also flew at the same level as her. She posed a haughty pose, arms crossed with a wide smirk.

"I won't add another collateral damage. My objective is clear as crystal." She remarked.

"W-Well, I sure hope those crystal doesn't have any fur." Reisen sweat-dropped.

Sakuya smirked. "Oh, but it does. In fact, it has two long crumpled ears dangling on top of it."

She then pulled out something from beneath her apron. It was a blue card, adorned with printings of a clock with knives surrounding it.

"It would be nice if it could just sit there before I lay my judgment upon it." The maid brandished her knives with the other hand. The air became very serious.

"Spell Card." The maid announced elegantly. **[Illusion Existence "Clock Corpse"]**

* * *

"This spell!" I muttered in surprise from Sakuya's declaration. "It's Sakuya's second Spell Card in EoSD!"

The maid shot out a series of small white bullets to every direction once. All of a sudden, barrages of blue-handled knife appeared in front of her enemy, all the while she teleported to different location.

Reisen was quick to fly back to the side to avoid some which are aimed to her, all the while keeping her eyes to the non-aimed one. After the field is clear, Sakuya shot another series of bullets before spreading her knives once more.

" _I had a hard times against this one."_ I reminisced as Reisen avoided another wave of knives. _"Back when I first known EoSD, I had to waste so many bombs just to uncover the patterns. It would be nigh impossible for me now, maybe, since I can't see when the time's stopped."_

Sakuya was ready to unleash her fourth waves of knife. The gray-haired maid was just about to stop the time when her opponent voiced her declaration.

 **Illusionary Blast!**

The vampire's servant had no time to react when a big red laser coming from the bunny's eyes, piercing through the hoard of knives. Sakuya screamed in agony when the laser hit her dead center.

"AGH!"

" _A perfect hit!"_

* * *

Sakuya's spell had ended abruptly. Miraculously, her adversary survived with only slight tears on her clothes. She herself, meanwhile, didn't seem to be faring that well.

"What's wrong? It seems you got red on you." teased Reisen at Sakuya, currently rubbing her left arm in slight pain. In the nick of time, the maid managed to hold her arms in an almost vain attempt to block the laser. This result in a slightly dark mark on her arm and a couple of burn marks on her blue outfit, a little less than what it should've been.

The maid answered with an audible scoff. "This is only a scratch."

"Really? Well then, I'm sure you're going to like this one." The bunny declared. She held a light purplish card, decorated with drawing of a big eye with red full moon as its pupil. Sakuya noticed her opponent's eyes glowed a bright red.

 **[Lunatic Sign "Visionary Tuning"]**

Several medium-sized magic circle appeared between the two on a near-level plane. The circles moved on two different directions – almost on X-Y axis – while shooting red and blue bullets, each color for each direction.

Sakuya found her movement restricted by the maze the bullets made. She was forced to move down several times to avoid getting mashed.

"Now…" mumbled Reisen.

All of a sudden, as if giving a mind signal, the surrounding became slightly darker and blurred. The circles stopped moving and shooting. Yet, the bullets continue to move. Surprisingly, this time the bullets didn't do any damage.

" _This is my chance."_ Sakuya realized. _"I have to find a spot to avoid getting shot!"_

The maid flew upward, searching for a save spot between the maze. She spotted one just 10 meters in front of her.

" _Just in…"_

"Now."

Out of the blue, the surroundings were back to normal. Sakuya found herself stuck between the red and blue bullet lines.

"Shi-!" She cursed. The maid turned her head down and gasped in shock. Sakuya has been descending too fast and in danger of hitting the ground. She cranked her mind in hope of finding an exit, but it was in vain.

The ground is only 3 seconds away. Sakuya closed her eyes, bracing for impact.

" _I'm done for-… huh?"_

The silver-haired maid opened her eyes to find that the surrounding has been distorted again. Wasting no opportunity, she threw her knives while searching for another safe spot.

* * *

Reisen continues to fill the sky with her bullets while Sakuya tries to get a hit by shooting her own barrage to the rabbit. Meanwhile, all I could do was sit here and watch with questions on my mind.

" _This is too weird. Just why did Sakuya confront Reisen in the first place? Worse, she even waited for her near the Bamboo Forest's border. Just what did she tell her which result to this fight?"_

"If you continue your train of thought, you'll find yourself at the dead-end soon enough."

Lo and behold, the Unsurprising Gap Youkai, flesh and bone. Not even she could surprise me anymore at this point.

"You're thinking too much, my cute apprentice~." She reprimanded. "Adding more variable before you solve the first problem will only lead to more confusion."

I looked to the side where her… uh…

"Yukari…"

"Yes~?"

"Is it really necessary for you to show your head?"

"Shouldn't I? You wouldn't notice my gracefulness otherwise, right?"

Just like any other time, I face-palmed. "Okay, let me rephrase it. Is it really, _really_ necessary for you to show your graceful, one and only head, _only_?"

The youkai of boundaries glanced down and true enough, there's no body to be seen. Only her own head and neck, adorned with a small gap with red ribbons. She fake a pout, making a thoughtful face. The blonde youkai then replied with a shrug, or whatever the equivalent with only a head is.

"I was bored." She answered simply.

Didn't really want to keep up with her banter, I simply ignored her and went back to watch.

"Not interested, huh. Well, no matter. At first I wanted to show you something interesting, but seeing how you so fixated in watching their battle, well…"

Not gonna hear, not gonna hear…

"Something like, a recording of their conversation…"

I'm not interested, I'm not inte-…

…intere-…

"Could you repeat that last part?" I turned my head.

"Oh, what's that, Ran?" Yukari looks surprised, talking to a smartphone on her right hand. "Oh, the show's going to start? Which one is it? …THE DESCENDANT OF THE SUN?! Okay, let me pull out my hea- GYAAAAAAHH!"

"Wait right there, you gap hag!"

"MY EAR, MY EEAAARR! STOP PULLING IIIITTT!" She begged. "LET IT GOOOOO!"

"What?! Can't hold it back anymore, huh?!"

"HERE, HEREEE!" Her eyes pointed to her left.

A small gap opened, revealing a hand with a small tape recorder. I swiftly took it from the hand before it closed.

"Uu~… that was really hurt~" She moaned with teary eyes. "You have to learn how to treat girls sometimes… _Yanto no BAKA!_ "

As sudden as she appeared, the head went back to… wherever her body currently is.

"It should've been me who said: try to not tease people too much." I let out a sigh. Continuing to watch, I decided to play the recording near my right ear. "I knew I should've brought some coffee with me."

 _*CLICK*_

.

.

.

"…what?"

* * *

 _*PING*_

With the sound, marks the end of Reisen's Spell Card.

Sakuya resumed her attack. One, two dozen knives of different colors in horizontal spread-style. Reisen wasted no chance as she summoned her bunny hand gun, one on each hand, and shoot her own version of 'bullet' barrage which slowed down precisely on the knife's trajectory, nullifying the maid's attack. She smirked before she flew away to safety, avoiding the rest of the knives.

The gray-haired maid didn't stop there. She summoned five lines of knife, seven knives in a row. The bunny skilfully grazed between the lines towards the maid, shooting hoards of red bullets. Sakuya flew away from her adversary, starting a dog chase in the middle of the air.

Reisen continues to shoot her bullets which shaped like… bullet. Sakuya meanwhile did her best in flying left, right, then left again, weaving through the attacks before she went towards the Bamboo Forest.

" _Bad choice. In here, I have the territory advantage!"_ Smirked Reisen in confidence.

"You've got nowhere to run!" Reisen shot another volley of bullets at Sakuya, which in turn deflected it with her knives before she took a sudden turn to avoid the next one. The bullets made a sizzling sound when hitting the plants.

Weaving between the bamboo and the occasional bullets, Sakuya observed her surrounding attentively as swift as possible. Going inside the forest is not a desperate act. Inside her head is a plan ready to commence. All she need is the perfect opportunity, for anything less than perfect is unsatisfactory for the Perfect and Elegant Maid.

Her eyes widened as she saw what's in front of her.

" _There!"_

" _Isn't that… a dead end?"_ Reisen noticed.

The vampire's hound dog went straight to her objective: a bamboo trunk, larger than average. She kicked her feet, used it as a base for her to shoot back straight onto the rabbit full speed ahead.

"Yikes!"

Reisen was forced to do a somersault mid-air to avoid being hit by a missile named Sakuya. She then turned her body to see just what has her opponent planned. The rabbit widened her eyes when she saw Sakuya facing her while flying backwards, ready to attack.

" _Learn from the past mistake…"_ Sakuya mused, _"…to be ready for future victory!"_

"Take this! **Bounce – No Bounce!** "

Two red-handled knives shot out from the maid's hand, straight towards the bunny. Reisen widened her eyes as she was forced to do the second somersault of the day.

" _That was close…"_ Reisen sweat-dropped. "Too bad. Even if they bounce, their trajectory won't even come near me."

Sakuya smirked. "Who said I was going to hit _you_?"

It took two seconds for the lunar rabbit to fully understand what her adversary meant. She was floating at the center of a naturally-made bamboo wall.

 ***CLACK!***

The knives hit Sakuya's foot base and ricocheted to the side in an almost perfect 45 degrees, aiming to the wall.

 ***CLACK!***

When Reisen turned her body, it was already too late.

 ***RIP!***

"GAAAAHH!"

* * *

"That voice… it's Reisen's!"

Yanto which had been trying to follow the two ever since they entered the Bamboo Forest, stopped just when he's about to cross the boundary. The sound could be heard quite loud and clear, so he thought that they weren't too far from him.

"I gotta catch up with- whoa!"

"Hold it right there, you."

Suddenly, Yanto felt a hand grabbed his right shoulder, prompting him to stop on his track. He glanced back, and found the white-haired culprit.

"What's the big idea, following a danmaku battle? Not to mention in a place like this." The woman raised an eyebrow. "And you're not even flying for damn sake."

"M-Mokou!" Yanto stuttered. He wasn't predicted to be found out now. Not when his mind was too fixated on the battle. "I-It's nothing! I was just… um…"

The immortal phoenix let out a sigh. It was not a regular occurrence, but it happened before if the memory serves her right. She rested her arm on his shoulder. "Now look here."

"H-Huh?" Yanto blushed slightly, mostly because Mokou's sudden approach.

"I know it might be your first time watching something like that. Pretty cool, don't ya think?" She grinned, pointing her thumb to the Bamboo forest behind them. "But it's not a matter you should put your hands into."

"Wait… what do you mean?" The math teacher confused.

"As I said before, it's a danmaku battle. It's what happens when people got into conflict and want to solve it fair and square." She released her arm. "That means they agreed to have that match, and it's not our place to be involved."

"Ah, but…" Yanto glanced back, trying to make an excuse. "I heard a scream before. Maybe there's something happened, and…"

"Oh, that." The immortal widened her eyes in realization. "Somebody might got hit. Not a problem since there's the spell card rule. Nobody will die, even if you shoot them with napalm or some nuclear fusion-thingy."

The immortal realized that she's not the right kind of person to say that. If what he said a week prior was true, then there's a possibility that Yanto knew about her battle-to-death-and-rise-again with the Princess on a daily basis. Nevertheless, that doesn't mean she couldn't, or shouldn't say it.

"Even if you get in there, I can't promise you'll come out safe and sound. Heck, I can't even promise you'll come out at all. You know what they called this place is, right?"

"Well, yeah… but…" Yanto mentally slapped himself. He should've known nobody really dies in a danmaku battle. He tried to make a better reasoning than before, but to no avail.

"The point is, you've got nothing to worry about." She slapped the math teacher's back, gaining his attention. "By the way, you haven't fulfill your promise to me, huh?"

"Promise?" He reminisced a little. "Oh, you mean when I said I'm gonna give you the fried rice recipe?"

"You bet. Now, what do you say we make some together now? Sort of a lesson, maybe?" She tried to persuade him. "Come on… what's that 'sensei' thing doing, hanging around behind your name like a cat's tail? You gotta put it into good use!"

"Umm…" He glanced to the forest for the last time before he let out a sigh. "Fine, then. How about you have some dinner in the shrine with us, then?"

"Sounds good to me!" She grinned. "What do you think if I ask Keine to come along?"

"That's not a problem. I was just about to buy some groceries anyway. How about we stop at the school first for some drink?" He suggested.

"Sure! It's too early for dinner anyway."

When she looked at the teacher, she noticed that he's been thinking about something. Being an immortal for over a thousand year doesn't mean that you'll become a dense little girl forever. She thought that it's not her place to ask, so she let it aside.

" _Just why did Sakuya wanted to know more about me?"_

* * *

 **A kinda short again, don't you think? I've got no excuse this time. All I could say is the semester is just started, and I'm still lazy like always. Old habits die hard, maybe I'll die carrying this habit with me.**

 **This chapter is the first time I wrote a danmaku battle. I'll admit it feels harder than writing a normal battle, be it fist-fight or sword-fight. The point is that what I consider about a danmaku battle is that it has to be as beautiful as possible, as such trickery should be avoided.**

 **Beauty doesn't mean that it couldn't be dangerous, vigorous or even exciting. It could merge with those without losing its gracefulness by even a bit. This what makes it harder to write. Writing a battle where all those elements combined really drains my imagination. Not to mention having to go back to wiki once in a while, just to check how a spell or a skill looks like.**

 **The point is, I still have much to learn. Your review and suggestion is highly, very highly appreciated.**

 **I was planning to make the matsuri chapter at least two or three chapter later, depending on how I could write the story. I'm also trying to balance between comedy, drama and action in the story, even if the theme (when I wrote this) is only adventure.**

 **Last thing, I'll say happy new year for everyone. Hopefully this year will be better for all of us. Hopefully I could write faster and better than before. Thanks for your support for the last year, I'm hoping for your continuous support this year too. Now then, in order not to make the chapter a little longer just because I want to say all this crap…**

 **Until next time, then :v**

* * *

 **Epilogue**

"Come on, hurry up!"

Umm…

"We won't have dinner at this rate!"

"You mean, after doing all this, I still have to make dinner for all of us?!"

I guess this is the first time I did a narration on my own story, huh? Although I did a third person POV before, it feels kind of weird having my own voice here.

"Do you have a problem with that?"

"N-No, ma'am…"

Well what the heck, let's just give it a go. Hello everyone! Here's your friendly author, NormalMortal, doing the narrating for the epilogue today. Here we are at the shrine in the evening, watching the denizens do their stuff.

On the porch, sitting while sipping some tea is one, two… five person. The miko, the immortal, the teacher, the dullahan, and the teen. Currently, they're watching the math teacher which, because of his own stupidity and misfortune, was forced to clear the land from any weed as some matter of punishment.

"Seriously, Yanto…" The math teacher's cousin could only let out some sigh. Currently, she's giving the dullahan's head some brushing on a bucket, half-full of water. It wasn't his fault for the most part, since it's only an accident. But…

" _But it's my fault I found those eggs…"_ She thought. _"Ah, but… I'll shut up this time. God knows what'll happen to me if I talk."_

"Um, Reimu…" The teacher called, trying to persuade the miko. "I think it's enough for the punishment, right? The sun's almost set after all."

"No, it's not." Reimu crossed her arm, fumed. "Not after he cook those eggs for me and Mia. What an idiot."

"Hey!" The dullahan's head cried, feeling left out. "At least they didn't fall on top of your head!"

"AT LEAST THEY DIDN'T COME OUT FROM THE OTHER END!" The miko shouted in response.

"Calm down, you. We're in a shrine." The immortal sighed, didn't want to join the banter.

Well, I don't know, guys. It's kind of weird, making your own OC into this kind of bad-luck situation. Maybe there's something wrong with my head? I don't know.

What was that? You want me to continue instead of self-loathing? Okay, okay, sheesh…

Among the trees, a certain youkai peek into the happening behind the shrine. She decided not to interfere this time, feeling content just watching from afar.

" _Serves him right. That's what you get when you pulled my ear."_ She smirked.

Our protagonist could only let out a sigh, enjoying his punishment for the evening. He looked to the sky, wondering.

" _I want some pizza…"_

Hey, don't say that! I want it too now, not like I have any money to buy some…

Well, I've run out of things to say, nor I can make any joke for now. That's it for now, guys. See you next time!

"Such misfortune…"

"Get back to work!"

"EEK!"

* * *

 **Epilogue 2: What? You thought the story would end here?**

"Ugh…"

The battle had almost come to an end. The rabbit had fallen to the ground because of the maid's attack. The maid descended just 10 meters from the rabbit's ground zero.

"Are you all right?"

As much as she wanted the information, it wasn't her main intention to hurt someone in the first place. Maybe using just a little bit of force could be pardoned, but this doesn't look fine at all. _"Maybe I was going too far? *sigh* I don't know, my mind has been cloudy lately."_

"If you wanted to stop here, then it's fine."

It hasn't reach their initial agreement, but Sakuya was reluctant to continue it deep inside. Her strike earlier could be count as two hit, technically. She only need one more to win, compared to Reisen who needs two.

The lavender-haired bunny glanced back towards the gray-haired maid. "*chuckle* Dammit. Seems I was getting rusty."

"What are you talking about?" Sakuya released a sigh, smiled. She then extended her arm. "Here, take my hand if you still wanted to con-"

 ***SHTUCK!***

The vampire's servant widened her eyes in surprise. It wasn't everyday she failed to feel the presence of an incoming attack, nor was she failed to see it before it struck. She glanced back to see what caused it:

An arrow had struck perfectly in the middle of a bamboo trunk.

"If you thought that I missed, then you are wrong. My aim was perfect."

A womanly voice came from the silent attacker. Blue and red adorning her body along with her long silvery hair. On her hand is a bow with white cloth on each end. The rabbit gazed forward in surprise.

"M-Master!"

"Yagokoro Eirin…" Sakuya muttered.

The bunny trembled in fear. Her master catching her failed is the last thing she wanted to happen. Now she could only wait for her response.

The lunarian glanced to the rabbit. "Reisen, are you all right?"

"E-Eh?! I mean, yes… Yes I am, Master!"

Eirin let out a sigh. "Seriously… Come inside quickly so we could patch you up."

"Y-Yes!" She answered, half-glad because her master didn't scold her.

"And you… Izayoi Sakuya."

The maid rose up her eyebrow in confusion. The doctor might be angry at her for attacking her subordinate, she wondered. Eirin looked at Sakuya straight in the eye, just like an eagle with its prey. It was quite nerve-racking, but the hound dog of the devil didn't fall down.

"Come with us to my office. There's something I would like to discuss with you."


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer : Touhou and all its characters are belonged by ZUN** **and Team Shanghai Alice** **. I only own my OCs and this story. Any similarities on any parts of the story with another fanfic are unintended.**

 **Chapter** **16 : Mia's Not-So-Bizarre Adventure, Part 1**

* * *

"So, Reimu… where should we go first?"

A bright Saturday morning. This particular kind of weather is perfect for relaxation after a full week of non-stop working or school. Whether you decide to have a vacation with your family, or simply lay your body at home and have a warm family time you longed for. Unfortunately, it wasn't like that for us.

"Hmm, let's see…" Mumbled the miko, looking at a list on a piece of paper.

Today, Reimu asked me to be with her on a survey regarding the matsuri. This includes checking the ground zero, as well as meeting some of the participant who, because of their circumstances, cannot come and meet the village leader to confirm their participation.

Well, how should I say this… my initial plan for today was to spend the day with my cousin as much as possible, considering I'll be going back on Monday. Turns out, Reimu needed another person to come with her, and yet Yanto couldn't come with us because he have prior appointment in the shrine with some people he kept a secret! How cruel!

At first I was going to decline it, said that I'll be fine with taking care of the shrine. But suddenly Yanto interrupted me, saying that it'll be a great opportunity to explore Gensoukyou before I go back! I even tried to say that I'm still recovering, but, but…

…

" _Are you sure? You seemed to be so full of energy when we sparred a few days ago."_

" _E-Eh? Well…"_

" _It's okay, just go." He gave me a warm smile. "Sorry I can't come with you. If my meeting tomorrow goes well, then the matsuri will be a blast! Just wait for it!"_

…

" _Just what does he meant by that?"_ I wondered in confusion. _"Geez Yanto, you're too secretive sometimes!"_

"Mia?"

"E-Eh?!" I was jolted upon seeing Reimu's face, suddenly appeared in front of me.

"Are you okay? You didn't answer me for some time now." She asked with a face full of worry. "Don't tell me the pain came again? I knew we shouldn't trust that shady Lunarian."

"I-It's fine, Reimu, really!" I held up my hands. "It's just my mind's been going elsewhere, that's all."

It's really hard to make an excuse in front of her. According to Yanto – the one more knowledgeable in Touhou matters – Reimu's intuition was top notch, maybe even the best in Gensoukyou. Most, if not all of the time, she only relied on it to find the real proprietor whenever there's an incident. Such, she could easily guess whenever someone isn't saying the truth.

The red miko tilted her head, seemingly disbelieved by my excuse. Shortly though, she turned her body and let it pass.

"Well, if you say so." Reimu shrugged, letting out a sigh. "Too bad you can't fly yet, huh. Yanto don't even trust you enough with his Jet Pack."

"I'm sorry. Since I was little, I was bad with height."

"That's okay. But you can at least be calm when it's not too high nor too fast, right?"

I was a little confused with her question. All I could think of is somewhat like flying on a plane. "I… suppose so."

"Great, then." She looked back to me, smiled. "Let's make it quick. If we fast enough, hopefully we'll be back at the shrine before sunset.

Surprised, I was taken aback by her statement. 'Quick'? Does she figured about what I've been thinking earlier? Is her intuition really that good?

"O-Okay!"

* * *

"Here we are."

It took almost an hour to get here from the shrine by foot. I was surprised when it's been almost half an hour and we were just arriving at the village gate! No wonder everyone knows how to fly.

As expected of a big village, its road was bustling with people doing their work. Fortunately Reimu knows a shortcut to avoid the market. I don't know what'll become of me if I walk through there.

The ground zero was surprisingly emptier than the other streets. Reimu mentioned it was because there isn't much store operating there, and it is mostly filled with people's home. We stopped in the front of the school Yanto worked at.

"And now, we wait." Said Reimu. "She should be here anytime soon."

I also noticed the people were looking at me since earlier with curious look. Is it because of how I dressed? Or is it because of my sword? Then again, a lot of people also brought their knife and machete with them, and considering that I'm an Outsider…

But then again, I'm going back on Monday, so I don't really need it.

"Say Reimu, I don't see any preparation made by the villagers." I commented as I look around the street. "I thought they would be more… excited than this."

"Oh, that? Of course they're excited. It's just now's not the time to prepare just yet." She answered. "They'll start raising their tent tomorrow. For now, it's time work just like any other day."

"Is that so… they're more hard-working than I thought."

"Yes, but that doesn't mean no preparation's been made." Said a voice from my right.

I turned my head to see the woman we've been waiting for walking towards us. Wearing her blue dress, the weirdly-shaped hat, and always etching that signature warm smile.

"Sorry I was late. I overslept a little because of my work last night." She apologized.

"Keine-sensei, good morning." I greeted her. "You're just in time. In fact, we've just arrived a minute ago."

"Is that so, then thank god."

"Keine, you didn't forgot to bring the map, didn't you?" asked Reimu, didn't bother to make any greeting.

"Of course. I've been spending the last few days just planning it with the chief."

The teacher then showed us the map of the village she brought, along with a list. There's a lot of mark on this particular street, indicating where each stand will be put. As we walk through the street, she explained the details of the event while pointing her fingers here and there.

It will mostly look like any other night fair. There'll be people selling their crafts, foods, or even game stand like shooting and such. There'll also be a medium-sized stage in the middle of the street, facing the school. People could sing, dance, or show their talents on it. We spend at least 30 minutes just for hearing her briefing.

"So, is there any question?" She asked.

"It seems good enough for me. How about you, Reimu?"

"No objections here." The miko shrugged.

"Then, we could move to our next objective. Now, Mia-san?"

I looked at the teacher all confused when she opened her palms in front of me, just like a mother giving her daughter candies. Her usual smile doesn't make anything better at all.

"Would you take my hand?"

"Eh…" Confused with her statement, all I could do is nodded and held her palm with my left hand. "…okay?"

"Let's just take it easy, Keine. Mia never did this before." said Reimu. I was too focused with Keine that I didn't realized my other hand were already in Reimu's soft grip. "Oh, I think it's better if you put your arms on our shoulders."

"E-Eh? What is this?"

"Oh, you're right." Keine realized. She then moved my arm so that it looks like the two are carrying me. "It's okay, Mia-san, the first time might be a little… terrifying, but you'll get used to it."

"R-Really, what is it?" I asked, slightly scared. "What're you going to- wait… don't tell me, Reimu?!"

"Yeah." The miko nodded. "We're going to fly."

"H-HUUHH?!"

Suddenly, the two floated up into the air just like a balloon full of hot air. Of course, my body was also pulled up by them.

"W-Wait! KYAAAH!"

"M-Mia!"

"Now, now… d-don't struggle too much!"

I could see the ground moved further from us. Gravity seems to pull my lower body and stomach much harder than before. The sensation of freedom gave my feet a sudden shiver.

"SLOWER, SLOWER! PLEASE LET ME DOWN!"

"We are slow, Mia. It's okay, just calm down."

As we move further up, the wind feels so much harder than before, swaying my body slightly harder. I couldn't stand the possibility of falling down, so I closed my eyes and wait for all this to blow over.

" _God, please help me… I'm too scared, I don't wanna die yet!"_

"Uuu…"

"Mia-san, are you all right?"

I shook my head. Does she really think I'll be fine after this?!

"We've stabilized for now, Mia. You can open your eyes."

"Nuh-uh." I shook my head again.

"It's all right. The view's beautiful from up here." Keine commented. "You just don't have to look down."

"…will it be all right?"

"Of course! Believe me."

Finally obliged, I was taken by surprise by what the nature had served for us. Vast scenery which probably span for kilometers to all direction. Bright, blue morning sky adorned with small clouds. Green vegetation, trees and grass everywhere I look, added with a giant lonely mountain in the middle of it. Mountain ranges span from left to right, surrounding and protecting this magical wonderland. Truly…

"Beautiful…"

"Isn't it?" Keine smiled. "You won't be having this view if you stay on the land."

"Amazing… so this is Gensoukyou…"

I almost couldn't believe what I saw with my own eyes. It's far different than what you could see from the window of a plane. They all look so close, yet so far. It's as if I could just grasp it with my hand if I want to.

*chuckle*

I looked to my right where the miko still had my arm on her shoulders. She had a small smirk, glued on her face.

"I-Is there something funny?" I asked, sweat-dropped.

"Ah, no, no…" she waved her hand. "It's just… your expression earlier reminds me of someone."

"Someone?"

"Yes… that guy had the exact same expression the first time he fly on his own. Your cousin, that is."

* * *

In a mere 5 minutes, we arrived at our destination even though Reimu and Keine-sensei flew at relatively slow speed.

"Is it… Kourindou?" I asked, seeing the knick-knacks-filled building from above. Does the owner actually give any efforts to clean up?

"Yes. The store-keeper – which is also happens to be my old friend – apparently have something he wanted to sale tomorrow." Said the teacher. "We'll check if his creation appropriate to be on a stand or not."

"Knowing him, I doubt it would be a dangerous item." Reimu commented. "Probably just some toys for children."

We descended right in front of his store. As my feet touched the ground, I let out a silent sigh.

" _Thank god it's over."_ I thought. _"I won't deny that it feels… good… but nevertheless, walking on a soil is still the best feeling there is."_

"Sorry for intruding!" Keine voiced to let the storekeeper know.

The inside of it is… really, I don't know what to say. Extremely full of stuff of different varieties, more so than the outside. Yet, seems the owner managed to organize it so that it doesn't feel crowded at all. The light is a little too dim, even in a morning like this, which gives the store a calming tune to it. I gotta say, it's still better than IKEA.

"Come in… oh, it's you Keine, and you bring Reimu as well."

On the other side of the store, a gray-haired man showed up. Surprisingly, he is even taller than three of us, maybe even taller than Yanto!

"Ah, you also brought another guest." The gray-haired man rubbed his hand clean before he reached it out to me. "Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Morichika Rinnosuke, Kourindou's store-keeper and its sole owner. I believe this is the way people from the Outside pass greetings?"

Understanding what he meant, I simply shook his hand with a smile. "Pleased to meet you, Morichika-san. My name's Hanamia Bahar, but you can simply call me Mia. And yes, if you noticed from my name, I'm Yanto Bahar's cousin."

"Yanto's cousin, is it." He rubbed his chin. "Well, in that case, you could simply call me Rinnosuke as well. On another note, what brings the three of you here?"

"Rinnosuke…" called the teacher, "…we're on a survey regarding the participants of the matsuri tomorrow. Do you have anything you wanted to sell for your stand?"

"Hmm… I do have some, but…" he gets into a thinking pose. Just as he gazed to me, his face brightened. "Ah, to tell you the truth, I needed someone to evaluate my latest creation for me, and I had a thought an Outsider would be the perfect choice. Would you like to see it?"

I didn't think he had any bad motives at all, so I easily accepted. "Sure." I gave a nod.

Soon enough, me and Reimu found ourselves sitting on a rather old-looking-but-comfortable sofa while Rinnosuke look around the inside for his stuff. Keine just came back from the back of the store to make us some tea.

"The two of us were… childhood friends, on the loosest term." Keine explained after she put down the tray. Then, she took a cup of her own. "We've known each other since we're small. It's probably because of our half-blood ancestry, but I felt that it was one of the reason we became friends back then."

"It's been long ago, hasn't it?" Commented the store-keeper, suddenly appeared from the back of the store. "I still remember it like it was yesterday. Back then, you would always follow me around anywhere, calling my name and-UMMPH!"

"AND OFF WITH YOUR MOUTH!" Suddenly, Keine lunged herself forward, closing Rinnosuke's mouth for saying things further. Her face was red of blush with noticeable drop of sweat. "Seriously, suddenly telling the past like that… it's been far too long, don't you think?"

"Say, Reimu…" I whispered to the girl on my left, "…don't you think Rinnosuke is a little… I don't know, upbeat than what he should've been? I thought he was a more reserved person."

"Hmm…" Reimu hummed. "Probably because seeing a potential buyer in front of him?"

Ah, I see. He's trying to look like a good salesman. Maybe he thought showing familiarity and relation to our group could increase the chance of bigger income. I see, I see.

Huh? Does that mean he saw me as a potential buyer? Even though I only have Outside currency?

"And as you can see, he's still as dense as ever."

Well, I couldn't agree more on that.

"*chuckle* Sorry about that. Anyway, here is the stuff I thought would be appropriate for selling. Please take a look."

The store-keeper put down a wooden box full of stuff on top of the table. I couldn't describe it more specifically because the type difference from one another is too large! It's like he just put anything he could see in it!

"Here is a calculator, powered with energy from the sun, and here is something called 'Rubick's Cube', some sort of puzzle from the Outside. This one is a knife, a bottle opener and toothpick combined into one, and here is a wooden spoon." He explained, but only two words caught my attention.

"…eh?"

"Is something the matter?"

"A wooden spoon?"

"Yes, a wooden spoon."

"Why?"

"Well, why not?"

I don't know anyone who sell spoon on a night festival.

"W-Well, it sure is a lot of stuff." I sweat-dropped.

Rinnosuke laughed slightly. "Ahaha… it seems I got a little too excited about the matsuri. Sorry if it seems to bother you."

"That's okay, really."

"Say, Rinnosuke-san?" Reimu called. "Where's your new creation? You said you wanted to show it to us."

"Oh, right. Here it is."

From one side of the box, the half-youkai pulled out a wooden board the size of a plate. It was filled with numerous kanji placed on a small frame. Under the letter is a rectangular button, embedded rather loosely on the same frame.

"This one I made, inspired by a learning tool from the Outside. On each frame, I wrote several letter I've chosen personally. Three lines of frame represent the difficulties of each letter, further to the right and down is harder."

"Oh, I remembered this one!" Keine said in realization. "You've showed me this before, saying that it'll be a good kanji learning method for kids. Unfortunately I rejected it by saying the letter was too few."

"That is why I modified it. Now, Mia-san." Rinnosuke called. "Could you tell me what this letter is?"

His finger pointed to a kanji placed in the upper left frame. It looks like three stripes lined up together with another shorter one served as their base. Unfortunately…

"Um… sorry, but I can't." I apologized. "I can't read any Japanese letter at all, let alone kanji."

"Eh? But how can you speak Japanese so fluently?" Keine-sensei asked.

"I'm not sure about that myself…" I gave her a shrug. "When I came here after Yu- I mean, when I woke up in the shrine, I realized that I've already fluent in it. Thankfully I still able to speak English and my native language."

"Huh… must be the work of that gap hag." Reimu muttered.

" _So her reputation has exceeded herself."_ I thought. _"Seems there's no reason to hide it anymore."_

"Well, that's too bad." Rinnosuke sighed. "Nevertheless, I could still show you its feature."

He then slid the button up with his finger, covering the letter. What beneath it is a small picture of green triangle with a little white on top. I immediately recognized it the moment I saw it.

"Oh, _yama…_ (mountain)."

"That's right." smiled the store owner. "Also, unlike the older type in which the kanji was carved onto the panel, this one came with paper card. They could be removed and then replaced with another card, like so." The man pulled out the card from top and replaced it with another card. This time, it's kanji with their hiragana counterpart.

Somehow, Rinnosuke's creation reminds me of a toy I once have when I was little. The frame was filled with drawings of car, bike, houses and such. Underneath the button was the item's name in English. It essentially an English learning kit for children.

"So, what do you think?" Rinnosuke asked me, his face was a hopeful one. "It's probably not much, compared to technology the Outside has to over, but still I'll really appreciate your commentaries."

I pondered for a while before I answered. "What to say, hmm… I'm not going to lie, but your creation looks far simpler than what I imagined."

Below his glasses could see he tried to hide his downright expression with his forced smile. "I see."

"But that doesn't mean it's not good."

As sudden as his emotion plummeted, he perked up at hearing me continue. "Although it's simple, I'm surprised you could manage to make something like this. I mean, if you look at people from Outside, you'll understand. We're far superior – not to brag – in terms of knowledge, crafting tools and such, but so little of us even tried to think about things like this. You'll be surprised at how much people living with no motivation out there."

Suddenly I remembered how Yanto was after he lost his parent, but I quickly shook my head. He has changed for the better, I believe. I tried to smile as best as I could.

"In my opinion, it'll make a good sale, especially among the parents. Go for it."

After blinking a few times, he turned his face away from me, all flustered. "A-Ah, is that so… that is… thank you for your opinion, yes…"

Suddenly, the man stood up and faced the register. "Anyway, if my eyes isn't deceiving me, you happens to be a sword user, right? If so, then I have the perfect things for you." He said before he trotted off inside.

Confused, I turned to the other two. "What's wrong with him?"

"Nah, it's nothing." Reimu said, taking a sip of her tea. "He just doesn't get praised that much."

"Thank you, Mia-san." Keine smiled. "He seems really happy to hear your opinion."

* * *

"So, where should we go next?" I asked.

The rest inside the Kourindou went without a hitch. After a not-so-close examination at the store owner's merchandise, all of them was relatively safe and appropriate for selling. Though, I still hesitate in letting him sell that spoon. Like seriously, who buys kitchen utensil in a night fair?

As a thanks – and also as a farewell gift since I told him I'll be going back in Monday – Rinnosuke tried to give me some of his stuff, mostly related to sword fighting. At first, I was going to refuse it all since I thought he'll give me too much favor for such small thing I did. That, and I didn't really need anything sword fighting-related right now.

In the end, I gave up and received a pair of sleeveless gloves he got. It was made of black leathers and came with armor made of dark greyish metal plates. I don't know if I'll use it with my katana or not, but that black with little blue design was just too hard refuse!

"Let's see…" said Keine, tapping her chin. "Since we still have some time before lunch, why don't we try to go to the furthest one next?"

"The SDM?" Reimu wondered. "Sure, I don't see any problem with that. Just make sure we don't find much trouble on the way there."

For a second I was confused as to what the vampires could possibly sell at the matsuri. But then, something caught my interest in Reimu's third sentence.

"Um, Reimu… when you say 'trouble', did you mean, maybe… the fairies at the lake?"

Seeing Reimu sighed just when I said the word 'fairies' makes everything clear to me. "Yeah… I think we should take a detour around it, just to be sure."

"True." Keine nodded. "While I'm confident that we could defend ourselves if problems occur – which I hope won't come soon – I suppose it'll be wiser to avoid it as much as possible."

They didn't say it, but I know what they implied: It's hard to fight when you have extra-luggage around your shoulder. I'm not taking it as an insult, though. I understand how hard it is to fly while carrying someone, let alone have to defend yourself. They care about me, that's why they want to make sure I don't meet any troubles.

People like them were probably why Yanto likes it here better than the Outside.

* * *

"I'm really sorry to inform you, but we decided not to join the matsuri this weekend."

"Eh?"

The travel to the SDM was calmer than what I expected. We decided to fly between the forest around the lake near the shore rather than hovering over it. It was to reduce the possibility of facing any flying youkai or fairy on our way. It was a success, proven by how we didn't even encounter any animals except for some birds and occasional squirrel.

We met with the red-haired guard Meiling just before we entered the mansion. She eyed me rather keenly before I introduced myself, but her expression quickly shifted to a friendly one once she remembered the time when they visited the shrine.

She said she's eager to have a match with Yanto some other time, remembering how he managed to defeat Sakuya that time. I could event hint some tones of 'wanting to have a match with the person in front of you' from her, maybe because I told her how I've trained martial art since I was little. Reimu didn't miss it too, it seems. She quickly informed that our schedules were tight and we wanted to be at the village before noon, prompting Meiling to open the gate for us in almost unnoticed disappointment.

The garden outside the mansion was really gorgeous. It was even more of a flower heaven than a garden. On far side to the right I spotted a large gazebo, perfect for evening tea time. On the left side of the road was a bird pool made out of carved stone. The mansion at the end of road is a huge chunk of deep red. Crimson, as they might called it. It was maybe on par with that mansion in the anime Yanto likes to watch. You know, the one where they like to strike a pose whenever they liked to, with that buffy body and weird amounts of muscles – Yanto's taste in anime is weird, I admit. I just glad he doesn't have any lolicon tendencies on him.

Wait, does liking manly anime makes you gay? I sure hope not.

While the outside looks quite normal – as far as a European mansion in the middle of nowhere could be called 'normal' – the inside was another story. The main hall alone was almost half as big as the mansion from the outside. Not to mention the amount of red on them, makes me wonder if the owner is actually allergic to any other colors. We quickly met with the head maid in front of the large door. Her answer when we told our objectives surprised us.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Well, it started when the news first came up." Sakuya explained. "When Mistress heard that it was okay for the Little Mistress to join the matsuri as long as she has someone to look for her, Mistress became quite… ecstatic." She let out a sigh. "She decided that everyone inside the mansion – excluding the fairies and Patchouli-sama who refused – would join her in the matsuri as well. That is why I would not be able to mend the stall while I have to attend to the Little Mistress all the time."

"I see, that's too bad." Keine said with a tone of understanding. "Well, I hope all of you would have an enjoyable time tomorrow."

"Thank you, Keine-sensei. I appreciate it." Sakuya nodded with a smile.

Reimu didn't try to show it, but I could see some 'it's such a waste to come here' expression on her face. "Well, if that's all, we'll be going back to the village now."

Sakuya nodded. "I will take you to the gate-"

"Why… what's the rush?"

The four of us turned our eyes to the end of the hall where a giant staircase lay bare. There, standing on top of it with gracefulness coming from every nook and cranny of her body, is the mansion's mistress herself.

"Mistress!" the maid said in surprise.

"It's okay, Sakuya." Remilia held her right palm. "I'm just not feeling sleepy anymore. No need to worry about me."

With all the charisma within, she descended softly to the red carpet in front of us. More of an owl rather than a bat. She walked and stopped just a couple meters in front of us. The vampire mistress crossed her legs and bend her knees slightly before she lift the fabric of her dress to the side, bowing with a smile.

" _Good afternoon."_ She said in perfect English. "I welcome you all to my humble palace, the Scarlet Devil Mansion." Remilia stood back up. "I guess 'good morning' would be more appropriate, considering the degrees of light at the moment. I don't suppose you could forgive me, for vampires such as I were not made to be a creature of the day."

The tree of us couldn't help but felt weird out by her manners, but decided to keep it to ourselves. I do a quick bow as an answer. A hand on my chest should suffice, since I don't wear a skirt anyway.

" _Good afternoon to you too, Miss Remilia"_. I smiled. "Thank you for having us at your house."

"You're welcome, Hanamia. By the way, Sakuya," the Red Devil turned to her maid. "What is it did I hear about you couldn't attend your stall?"

"Ah, Mistress, that is…" Sakuya tried to find the word. "You said everyone should come to the fair, and I won't be able to be apart from you and Flandre-sa-"

"No need to do that." The vampire interrupted. "There'll be plenty of people to look after her there. If I wasn't mistaken, Hanamia, your cousin will also joining tomorrow, right?" She asked me.

Reimu beat me to the punch. "That's right. But he'll be on the watch from start to end. He'll have no time in attending Flan at all."

Something tells me Reimu really didn't like where this is going.

"That is fine. We still have Meiling after all. Keine-sensei also will be there tomorrow, right?"

The teacher nodded. "I suppose I could lookout for Flandre for some time. I don't have much to do as part of the planner on the day of the matsuri. It is also my responsibility as Flandre's teacher."

Remilia clapped her hands. "Perfect. Now you could safely tend to your stall without worries, Sakuya."

The maid looked restless at the banter. In the end, she gave up. "*sigh* If it is your wish. I shall prepare the properties for the stall soon."

Remilia's smile… "Then, after that's settled, now-"

"BUT!"

…faltered by a single word coming from Sakuya's mouth, no hint of tenderness could be felt. Only sharp, cold steel sternness.

"Mistress, since you will be on your own with Flandre-sama, I insist of you to remain together all the time. I can't expect Meiling to have her eyes on both of you all the time, so you have to look after your little sister as well."

"E-Eh, well… okay?"

"Don't run away with abandon. Stay inside the matsuri until I finished with the stall, then we can go home."

"But, there's also koaku-"

"Koakuma won't be able to come, since she's Patchouli-sama's servant and have to be with her all the time. You are a respectable vampire, and I hope that you could keep your manner. Understand?"

"Okay, okay… sheesh, you're so stern sometimes, Saku-"

" Un-Der-Stand?"

"Y-YES!"

The three of us could only look from the side with question marks on top of our head.

"That's rather… unusual to see from the mistress…" Keine commented.

"If I didn't know more, I would've mistaken the master from the servant." I voiced my opinion.

"More like…" Reimu spoke, "…a mother and her baby girl."

"True." Me and Keine both said.

After the farce ended, Remilia fake a cough, gaining our attention.

"Well, since it would be a waste not to do anything after you come this far…" She said, before she turned to me. "Hanamia, how about a little tour around the mansion? I certainly won't allow you to depart from Gensoukyou without showing you the best mansion on the land."

"Sakuya will show you around. While the two of you at it, me, Reimu and Keine-sensei will wait over a nice cup of tea. How's that sound?"

"Eh? Well…" I turned to the two, unsure. As a response, the teacher smiled warmly while the miko tugged one side of her lips upward.

"Right, almost forgot our first objective. We still have more than an hour before lunch anyway. Go on, have fun." said Reimu.

"That wasn't such a bad idea." said Keine. "Then, we'll leave the matter of checking the stall to you, if you don't mind."

* * *

"Good morning, Head Maid." Bowed a fairy maid. "Ah, and good morning to you too, Hanamia-sama."

"Good morning to you too." I answered, while Sakuya simply nodded.

Me and Sakuya were walking through the massive corridors of the SDM. It was, surprisingly, brighter than what Yanto had described. Although not much, the stained glasses provide natural lighting to the corridor, giving rainbow coloration every time we walked pass it. My theory is that vampires only affected by direct sunlight, while indirect one won't give her much, if not no problem at all. We were going towards the storage room, walking side by side.

"Though… I still can't believe it."

"Yes?"

"Seeing how big this mansion is compared to the outside… it gives me headache just thinking how your power actually works." I commented.

Sakuya chuckled. "It was part of Mistress's desire for grandeur things. Also, Patchouli-sama's library would not hold up the amounts of book she had if I didn't tamper with the space around it."

"But, won't something this scale eventually tire you out?" I asked, remembering how the doctor said Sakuya's lost might be caused by her fatigue.

She turned to me and smiled. "Thankfully, it had never happened before. My lost that time didn't occur because I used my ability too much, but rather because of the amount of duty piled up on me."

Ugh, did she just read my mind?

The maid turned her gaze forward. "This ability of mine had existed within me for as long as I could remember. It feels just like breathing, as if it was the thing I was supposed to do. I did have difficulties at first, but not until I met the mistress did I learn how to control it."

Her tone turned into a rather melancholic one. I realized that maybe we wandered into a rather sensitive topic, but I don't have words to avert it.

Shortly though, she turned her face to me again with a smile. "Well, I do have time where the mistress allowed me to stop using my ability. That is when Patchouli-sama took over and used her space-manipulating magic. Even then, I couldn't relax for long."

"Judging by how you said it, I guess you didn't really have that much free time."

"*sigh* Tell me about it."

Shortly after, we arrived in front of a wooden door, not unlike the other doors.

"Here is the storage room." Sakuya reached beneath her apron and pulled out a key. "I suggest that you wait here from the time being. The inside could be quite… cramped for more than one person."

So I waited. For less than 15 minutes, she managed to bring out the stall's main component: a wooden board roughly the size of an average human body. On the upper side of it painted a large black ring almost the wide of the board, with a small red circle in the middle of it, just like a target circle. In fact…

"It is a target circle…" I mumbled.

"That is right." Sakuya turned to me, her palms, clothes and face darkened a little. She dusted herself off before continued. "Last summer, I set up a game stall: knife-throwing. The objective was to be as accurate as possible. Participant will be given three knives…" she pulled her knives from her thigh pocket and handed them to me, "…and given three chances to throw. The more accurate you are, the bigger the prize. Oh, and there's also a special reward if you managed to hit the red circle at least twice."

I looked at the weapons on my hand. Three knives, probably made from silver, with different handles respectively red, green and blue. The handles made out of woods, though what kind I couldn't tell. Symmetrical, double-edged blade which appears to be very sharp, and the size match the marks on the plank.

"So how's the safety, I mean… it's actually quite dangerous just to be around these knives, isn't it? So what's your prevention for any accident or worse, casualty?" I asked.

She laughed slightly. "That was the last thing I expected to hear from you, the Outsider who casually walks around bearing a katana on her back, as if it was the newest fad around."

I sweat-dropped. "Haha… Is that so…"

"Well, to answer your question, I'll simply stop the time if I see something going out of control. Luckily, there were no accident in my booth last year, only a girl who miscalculated the power on her throw and missed by a mere centimeter higher than the plank." Sakuya reminisced. "I managed to catch that one without problem whatsoever. Oh, and there was one time when the children from the village tried to steal my knives. *sigh* It still baffles me every time I remembered it, how they choose my weapons over the prizes that I had prepared."

"Well, you can't blame children's curiosity." I commented, giving the knives back. "By the way, what prizes did you prepare?"

The maid then held out a red box on her hand. With her other free hand, she opened the lid to show me the content. Jewelries, such as necklaces and bracelets made out of colorful stones filled the inside.

"Meiling found them washed up along the shores of the Misty Lake. We found even more laying down on the bottom, waiting to be found. After that, we break the rocks into smaller pieces and put them together to make these."

"It's beautiful." I commented. Jewelries were never really my strong subject, and I felt they didn't fit me as well. So I said as a matter of fact.

"Ah, but you haven't see the main prize."

From the contents, she pulled out a necklace far more dazzling than the others. The small, silver chain which could only be made from pure material, holding the main attraction up. A pendant, made out of red stone, possibly ruby, shines a charismatic scarlet. On its side is silver bat-like wings, holding the stone in its place.

"Wow…"

"*giggle* Thank you for your compliment."

"Ah, sorry…" For some reason, I found myself gazing at the stone wide-eyed. It's probably the first time I've acted this way. "*cough* So, why hasn't anyone win this yet?"

"Knife throwing isn't as easy as it look. Unlike other weapons which you grip all the time, once the knife leaves your hand, you lose all the opportunity to control it. Only able to believe or pray to gods and goddesses – if you believe in them, anyway – to hit your target perfectly."

"Well, I've used them for years, so I could actually back up my words."

Suddenly, an idea popped on my head. I couldn't help but smirk.

"Well, if you thought it was hard, why don't you give me a try? I'm sure out of five, no, four tries, I could hit the center at least once. How is it?"

The maid blinked. Soon, she hardened her gaze at me. "What is it, are you challenging me on a bet?"

"I'm not necessarily call it a bet, but… yeah, you could see it like that." I gave her a shrug. "If I do hit the center, you will give me one of that necklace. How's that sound?"

She chuckled. "Like brother, like sister… a cousin of the same kind. Fine, I accept."

The blue-white maid gave me four of her knives to me and positioned herself on my side. I focused my eyes at the target.

"However, I must warn you to be very careful. They are very sharp, and for beginners they could prove to be quite difficult to-"

 ***STHUCK!***

"-handle…"

I smirked when I saw my knife hits deep. "Oh, sorry… what did you just say? Right, for beginners…"

The maid quits her daze and squinted her eyes against mine. "I must have underestimated you. Very well then, what do you say we raise up the bet? Normally, you would have to hit the center twice in three tries in order to win the grand prize. For you, if you manage to do it three times…"

"If I do…" I echoed.

"…then I will give you this box, along with the contents inside. Of course, the pendant included."

Oh boy, here she comes. I bet her pride was wounded just now. "Interesting. I only pray you wouldn't regret this."

"As a matter of fact, I rarely regret my decisions throughout my whole life." She stated.

Okay, then. At first, I only did it to see her reaction, and the result satisfied me. The side effect was a little unexpected, but not unwelcomed. I seriously didn't expect myself to actually able to hit three times…

…but well, a deal's a deal. Let's go with it 'till the end.

"Here goes!"

 ***STHUCK!***

"Impossible…"

Huh… another perfect hit. What do you know? Maybe I really cut for this stuff.

"Hmm… I must say, I didn't expect that one to hit. Oh well, lucky me."

I could see her trying her best to keep her emotion in check. Oh wow, the result was even more priceless! Suddenly, another great idea popped in my head.

"Say, Sakuya…" I slowly walked to her. "I felt quite lucky today."

I stopped in front of her. On my right hand is a knife with blue handle, while on the left hand is a green-handled one. "My favorite color is blue…" I said to myself, weighing the knives up and down. Then, I smiled the angel smile as I gave her the one on my right. "I guess I'll go with this one."

I went back to my place to finally see her face. Now Sakuya tries even harder to contain her façade! Too bad Yanto wasn't here. He'll laugh at this for months!

Seeing my target, somehow I felt more motivated than before. Maybe I could actually win this time. There still quite a large gape just above the two knives, so it shouldn't be harder than before.

Boy, I felt quite bad for boasting myself this much.

"Then…" I took my stance. "…hyaah!"

 ***THUD!***

"…eh?"

The knife made another slower *thud* when it hit the ground.

"Oh… how unfortunate. To think the knife would hit by the handle." Commented Sakuya.

"I-Impossible…" I muttered. It couldn't be! I'm sure I threw it straight without rotating it. Unless… "Did you just stop the time?"

"Oh my, I would never!" She gasped in shock, which I was sure she faked. "Though, I was sure Goddess of Fortune wouldn't leave before the third throw. Even though I was absolutely sure…"

My eyes blinked, slowly understanding her words. "Are you saying that I just lost my luck? That those two hit earlier was a mere coincidence?!"

"Ah, but I never said it!" The damn maid raised her palm in an act of 'defense'. "I never said whose Goddess, right? Hmm…" She put a thinking pose. "Oh, now I understand. It's not that she leave, she just realized she came to the wrong person. That's what it is."

Letting out a sigh, I shook my head in disbelief. "Something tells me you just didn't want me to win. You know what? I think you do."

"Oh, is this where we come to? Bad-natured banters between two people on a bet?" Her playful eyes gone, replaced by that sternness Yanto used to describe. "Something tells me you just become a sore loser."

"And something tells me you don't want to be a loser." My hand reached to my katana while Sakuya reached to her thigh pocket.

"I hope in your two weeks staying in Gensoukyou, you have proper understanding of the rules on this land." Sakuya took her stance, her façade never leaves. "In any case, while this would not kill you, I could not guarantee your old injuries would not rise back."

"Really? I'm certainly glad. But you know…" I reached for my katana.

"Indonesia wasn't that different from Japanese back in the olden days." I explained, taking a low stance. "When we have two ideas collide, and no amount of talk could solve the difference, we take it to the road all blood and dirty. Not too often, the soul becomes the payment."

"Hmm… how 'old' do you speak of?"

"Three weeks ago."

"I see."

This is it. He always describe it as the perfect combination between 'beautiful, 'deadly', and 'awesome'. A beautifully deadly awesome game. I guess it's my turn to experience it now.

What the heck. When I thought I could leave this land with peace. _Ya ampun…_

"Now, let's-"

"SAKUYA!"

* * *

When I heard the sound, I stopped the time immediately and look for the source. It came from a person at the end of the corridor, flying in an excited manner.

" _Flandre-sama…"_

Quickly, I resumed the flow of time before flying over to meet her.

"Little Mistress." I greeted. "You have woken up."

"Sakuya…" She pouted. "You didn't tell me we have a guest."

"I'm really sorry, but you're still sleeping."

We descended before turning our eyes at the teen. When I saw her walking to us, she already sheathed back her katana.

"So, is this Remilia's younger sister?" She asked. The way she looked at me, instantly I realized she had agreed to disband our fight.

"Yes." I nodded. "Mia, this is Flandre Scarlet-sama. Little Mistress, this is Hanamia Bahar."

"Ah, you are… Yanto-sensei's little sister!" Flandre-sama recognized.

"Younger cousin, actually." Mia crouched down so her eyes level with the Little Mistress. "Hello, Flandre-chan. My name's Hanamia Bahar. But, you can call me Mia if you want."

I see. Mia never really had a chance to get to know Little Mistress back when I was injured. Even Reimu brought her food to the room so she could eat with me.

The Little Mistress reached her hand forward and shook Mia's hand. "I'm Flandre Scarlet." She gave a nod. "But you can call me Flan." It seems she still a little shy. Quite unusual, remembering how she met with Yanto the first time.

"Oh yeah, I forgot!"

"Hmm?"

"What is it, Flan-sama?"

She took a step back. "I gotta practice 'the way to welcome someone' I learned yesterday!"

The Little Mistress tip-toed forward, her face is a peculiar combination of joy, excitement, and… shyness? Then, she stopped to bow.

"Welcome home! Good work on the office today!"

" _Hmm… not quite lady-like, but not bad either."_

She twirled on her toes. "Would you like to take a bath first?" Then another twirl. "Or dinner first? Whichever is fine!"

" _Wait… is it possibly…"_

"Or maybe…" Flandre-sama walked shyly, her eyes inviting. "…you would rather have… me instead?"

I was almost instinctively, I repeat for emphasis, almost instinctively scolded the Little Mistress, if not before I felt a sudden bloodlust raising from the other person in the room.

I could assure you, honorable readers, it was not rage but bloodlust instead. A very wild, almost uncontainable bloodlust.

"Flandre-chan…" Mia rubbed the Little Mistress's hair. "Who taught you that thing?"

"E-Eh? It's-"

"Is it my cousin? Yanto taught you, didn't he? That stupid sh*t of a cousin taught you, didn't he? Don't worry, Flandre-chan, I won't scold you for telling me, promise."

Her face is a smile, but even Meiling could tell the hostility behind it.

"N-No, I learned it myself." I had the impression that somehow, Flandre-sama cowered slightly over Mia's sudden burst. "From a book inside the library!"

"Ah, is that so?" As fast as it appears, it died out almost instantly. "Then, you really shouldn't pick book like that, you know. Remember to ask the others first, okay?"

"O-Okay!"

Remind me not to invoke another Indonesian's bloodlust. Could be bad for their health.

* * *

 **Well here it is, your long non-awaited chapter.**

 **Things have been a little rough on my side, and I hardly have any time to write and all. I initially wanted to make this sort of a mega-like chapter, but since it's already been more than a month, possibly two, and there's no telling if I'll finish it soon, I decided to give you the first part instead. The second part… hasn't been made yet. I'm deeply sorry.**

 **There's a lot of things I wanna say, but I decided to keep it short. There's a review back in February which I haven't had a chance to reply.**

…

TH 8 IN player: so... are you going to discuss in this FF how Sakuya and Yagokoro know eachother (if you play the SDM team in imperishable, Eirin recognizes sakuya)

…

 **I gotta say, this is quite important. Truth is, I am going to discuss it, but later in the future. We all know that ZUN never really stated about it, so it's quite obvious that I would have to put my own theory. A little warning that even in my own standard my theory is, I hate to use this word, weird. As such, I expected some, if not at most, of you guys might disagree. Even then, I will ask for your continuous support.**

 **Second thing I want to say. I never really stated it, but now I've decided the time of this fanfic. It happens in a summer between ULiL and LoLK. I was never that good in time management, so please bear with me.**

 **Also, I heard that the new Touhou will came out soon. I really can't wait for the game so I can train my fingers again. I think I won't put the new characters in this fanfic yet, time-wise and all.**

 **I've been forgetting why did I make this fanfic in the first place. I just hope I don't lose the will to continue it. Days like this when I can freely write is quite rare now, and I hope it won't diminish any further.**

 **Lastly, thank you for everyone's support. Hopefully I could finish it till the end.**

 **Until next time, then.**


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer : Touhou and all its characters are belonged by ZUN** **and Team Shanghai Alice** **. I only own my OCs and this story. Any similarities on any parts of the story with another fanfic are unintended.**

 **Chapter** **17 : Mia's Not-So-Bizarre Adventure, Part 2**

* * *

"I guess this is the time for goodbye, then."

My tour at the SDM had finally ended. Remilia, Flandre, Sakuya, and Patchouli were seeing us off before our take-off. Meiling was at the open door, watching and guarding at the same time.

"Not so much of a goodbye, I hope." Remilia answered. "Who knows? Maybe that hag would have a change of heart and permit you to visit us again sometimes in the future."

"One could only wonder." Patchouli commented. "Figuring out Yukari's thought is harder than finding the end of pi."

Me and Keine could only laugh at her words, while Reimu sighed while rolling her eyes.

"Don't worry, Mia!" Flandre saluted with a grin. It seems she's taken a liking to call me with my nicknames too. "I'll protect Yanto-sensei whenever he's here! We'll study and study a lot…"

"*chuckle* I'm counting on you, then…"

"…and we'll _**PLAY**_ a lot!"

" _Ugh, God… please give my cousin strength."_ I pray in mind.

Sakuya turned to her vampire master. "Mistress… should I…?"

Remilia's eyes widened in realization. "Oh yes, almost forgot!" Then, she turned to me. "*cough* However, as the head of the Scarlet Family and the Mistress of The Scarlet Devil Mansion, I won't let you take your foot a mere centimeter from this ground before I could give you a nice farewell gift."

With a snap from her finger, a familiar-looking box appeared in Sakuya's hand. One glance and I realized the meaning behind it.

"E-Eh? Wait, hold it for a second." I sweat-dropped. "I, well… you know, I mean… you don't have to… I mean, Look… I lost that bet, right?"

God, did I stutter so much.

"Hmm? What bet?" Remilia tilted her head. "Sakuya, do you know?"

"No, Mistress. I do not understand any of her words."

" _What the…"_

With a *click*, the maid opened the box for her mistress to take the content: the most dazzling necklace inside, the one she showed to me before.

"You have the cutest face right now." Remilia chuckled. She eyed the pendant with marbles of the same color. "Would you believe me if I say this is one of the Scarlet Family's important heritage? One couldn't simply find something like this in a market."

"But flea market, maybe."

"Shush, Patche… you're ruining the mood. Anyway…" The vampire walked to me. "…this is for you."

"Erm… I appreciate it, really…" I couldn't help but backed up a bit by her advance. "…but why? That looks a little too much for a… you know, a simple farewell gift."

"*chuckle* I knew you would say that. This is also thanks for taking care of my head maid a week ago. She told me how diligent and caring you were at nursing her back to health."

I glanced at Sakuya, who gave me a simple smile.

"Therefore, allow me to bestow you an honor to become Scarlet Devil Mansion's honorable guest! You won't be questioned the next time you decide to visit us again. Now take it, it is yours."

Lost in words, I could only stare at the necklace on my hands. "Ah, uh… but…"

"We still have much in our repertoire." Sakuya said, as if understanding my doubt. "Honestly I thought it would look good on you."

"Come on, Mia, wear it!" Flandre jumped in excitement.

Uncertain, I glanced at my two companion. Both are surprisingly smiled at me, as if saying 'everything's fine'. _"Like hell it is!"_

"Well, what are you waiting for? It was fated to be yours." Said Remilia.

Truth be told, I was already fascinated the first time Sakuya showed it to me. But, I caught in the illusion that it was supposed to be the game stall's prize, plus that I lost the bet already. Then again, this thing have such strong gravitational magnet. It's like pulling my hands to put it on my shoulders already, or it's because I simply like shiny things anyway.

Ugh… damn it. "I guess… it won't hurt for once." I mumbled to myself as I wore the necklace to my neck.

The mansion's resident perked up with a smile. "Well, what do you know? It suits you better than I do." Said Remilia.

"Well, things like that are supposed to be wore by adult so…"

"Hush, Patche!"

"So pretty…" Flandre smiled. "Like a lady!"

"Indeed it is, Little Mistress." Sakuya nodded in agreement. "A beautiful lady indeed."

At this point, my desire to reject it has started to falter. Wait, did I actually want to reject it in the first place? Do I have any reasons to?

"Say, Remilia…" Reimu said. "I also did some part in nursing Sakuya, you know. Where's your thanks?"

"Until you could pay off those soy sauce you always mooch us over, then you could have my thanks." Said Sakuya. "Only the words, though."

"Ugh, um… Yanto will pay them for me."

"He said he doesn't care."

"Dammit."

Oh, fine. Yanto would probably mock me later, I don't give a flying damn. "Thank you, Remilia, everyone."

"Not at all, you truly deserve it." The vampire smiled. "And remember, Hanamia Bahar. From now on, you will always be welcomed at our mansion."

* * *

As the residents watched the trio rose up into the air, a certain maid contemplated the conversation she had with the teen.

…

" _You're asking about him? Why?"_

 _It was only the two of them at the hall. After a visit to the library, Flandre volunteered – with a little persuasion from Sakuya – to inform her sister about the end of Mia's tour. Sakuya decided to use this opportunity to prey as much information about Yanto as possible._

" _I'm not saying that I mind, actually. But just… what do you want to know?" Mia crossed her arms._

" _It is nothing too personal." Sakuya admitted. "I was just having a feeling that what you told me that day isn't all there is."_

" _About what?" The teen raised an eyebrow._

" _About his fighting capabilities. How good he actually is?"_

 _Mia understood what she meant almost instantly. Sure enough, even when unhealthy, a maid with years of experience is a tough opponent for any person. Such, it was to be expected that she would be suspicious._

 _Mia let out a sigh. "I told you already. He's average at most, probably on par with me on swordplay."_

"Although…" _Mia thought,_ "…I don't know what happened in those three years he was gone."

" _I don't know if he picked up another tricks while we were away, but if we're talking about swords, I could only tell you that. What you have to be aware of is his wits, he could be unpredictable sometimes."_

 _The same thing she said a couple days ago. Sakuya closed her eyes, understanding that she could get no further in asking her. "Very well. Another thing, has he found his sister?"_

"Why does people interested in it so much? First the tengu, now her…" _Mia mentally face-palmed. "There still no clue. I guess we've come to a dead-end."_

" _I see… Not even in the village?"_

" _Not even in the village." The teen shook her head. "He even asked Akyuu, and even she couldn't come up with anything."_

" _The Hieda… that was unfortunate." Sakuya commented._

 _A thought arose from Mia's mind. She widened her eyes. "Don't tell me you… you thought that you…"_

 _Sakuya blinked. Shortly, she let out a chuckle. "No, no, that's not it. I was just being curious, that is all."_

 _The maid let out a sigh. "You of all people should've known that-"_

…

" _-that it is impossible for such convenient thing to happen."_

"Hey, Sakuya." Remilia called, pushing her out of her thought.

"Yes, Mistress?"

"Is the lunch ready?"

The maid smiled her best smile. "It will be done shortly."

* * *

"They're nicer than you thought, aren't they?" Commented Keine.

We continued our journey straight away from the SDM. Reimu proposed to fly higher than before. Pros? We could avoid fairies and lesser youkais this way. Cons? The wind were much stronger. Oh right, and the land were much further away. Thank you, Captain Obvious.

Sadly, one could never win against two.

"Yes, but not that I've had bad impression of them anyway." I confessed. "After all, I've met them before at the shrine, so I've known them even if just a little. Though I'll have to admit, Flandre's much more docile than I thought."

"So, I'll have to ask." I continued. "Why we refused their lunch invitation?"

"That's because we already have another appointment." Keine explained. "You see, our next destination wanted to try selling her food at the matsuri for once. She wanted our opinion, both from villager and Outsider." She said, referring to herself and me.

"We've got to be extra careful, though. Lest she cook unknown youkai meat or something." Said Reimu.

"I'm sure she won't use something like that." Keine sweat-dropped.

I gulped at the thought. I'm not particularly choosy of food, but I still worry that the person will serve me something I couldn't eat. Knowing Gensoukyou, snakes or wild boar would be the very least of my worries.

Wait, 'I'm sure'? "You mean, you know her, Keine-sensei?" I asked.

"Why, yes. One of them is my friend." She nodded.

I sighed in relieve. I think I know who she might be.

* * *

"Mokou-san! Put the sauce now!"

"Okay, okay, slowly there…"

"Wai- that's enough! You put too much!"

"A- f*ck!"

The three of us finally arrived at our destination: the end of Youkai Trail near the human village. We sit by a food cart waiting for our lunch which, from the look of it, not going to be done soon.

Just as I'd expected, the two on the other side of the stand were the familiar Fire Immortal and a woman I haven't met before. She has short pink hair and a pair of grey eyes. She has long and pointed ears covered with pink fur. On her back is a pair of bird-like wings with light pink fur, whereas the weirdly-shaped bones were unconcealed and purple-colored. She wore a brown kimono underneath a dark blue waist apron. She also wore a headscarf to cover her bangs.

She was the Night Sparrow Youkai, Mystia Lorelei.

"Um, you two…" Reimu called. "Just take it easy, okay? It's not like we're too hungry or any-"

"The fire's too big! You used too much charcoal!"

"Calm, girl! I can make fire, not sucking it!"

"…nevermind." The miko gave up.

Keine, whose confidence were already gone since the beginning, could do nothing but rested her head on the table.

"Keine-sensei, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, just…" She mumbled. "…let me rest for a minute, okay?"

 _5 minutes of chaos-induced cooking later…_

"Here it is, ladies and shrine maiden. Mokou and Mystia Special: Fried Rice with Spicy Grilled Lamprey!"

Against all the odds, the food was done. What appeared in front of us looks exactly like its name: a regular fried rice on a flat plate. On the side is a piece of grilled lamprey, topped with some kind of… chili sauce. Somehow the smells gives it away.

"Looks interesting, to be honest." I said. "So, what's the story behind this?"

"Well, it was just a couple days ago…" Mystia started, wiping her hands. "One night, I was ready to set up my stand and sell grilled lampreys like usual. Suddenly, Mokou-san came out of nowhere and told me her new idea for food."

"It's thanks to your cousin, actually." Mokou grinned. "When I tried the recipe he gave me, I was racking my brain, trying to find a way to make this even better than before. Long story short, this is what we came up with. Let us know what you think."

I looked at the dish in front of me. Knowing Yanto, his so-called 'recipe' must be along the lines of 'combining as much chili in one bowlas possible'. Well, I've got no room to talk, since our taste bud more or less the same. Still…

I took a spoonful.

"How is it?" asked Mystia curiously.

"Don't worry to say if something isn't right, Mia. Just tell us what you think." Advised Keine.

"What… it's not like you to worry about my cooking, Keine." Mokou grinned.

The teacher looked at the immortal incredulously. "As a friend of someone with tendency of going all out without limit, then of course I would be."

* * *

I looked at her, tasting it as if it was a king's delicacy.

"How is it, Mia?" I asked. "Should I get you some water?"

After a moment, she gave a nod with a straight facade. "Yes, please."

Her face wasn't the one I expected from someone who just ate what possibly was the hottest dish in the land. If anything, she looks like a top-tier cooking jury or something. But does her expression calms my worries? No. I mean, just look at the plate. If that reddish thing doesn't come from deepest part of Makai, then I don't know anymore.

Finally, she spoke. "Just as expected… Mokou, you have similar taste bud as me and Yanto. We both like to- no, _love_ to add chili to any food we found. The more, the better."

"Hehe… I guess it is." Mokou grinned. "Too bad Keine and the others doesn't really like it."

"Of course. Nobody wants to burn their tongue over food." Keine stated the fact.

"So, it's like the three of you have masochistic side, huh?"

The four looked at me incredulously. What? I'm not wrong.

"Anyway…" Mia continued. "It's good enough for me, the spiciness didn't disappoint at all, but please reduce it for any other people. You have to make sure people enjoy it too, right?"

"Well, you got a point." Mokou agreed. "Guess me and Mysty still have lots to work on."

"*sigh* I told you we used way too much chili, Mokou-san." Said Mystia. Suddenly, she enters a thinking pose. "Wait, how about this: we put the option of spiciness level, so that people could choose without worrying about burning their own tongue."

"That's a great idea!" Keine beamed. "And you two could put additional fee for added chili. I'm sure the people won't mind!"

"Not bad at all." Said Mokou. "I think we're on to something right here. Also, I could talk with the drinking stand for their help. Nobody wants runaway zombies searching for cold drink everywhere."

"Too bad I can't use this trick on my shrine to get more donations, huh." I mumbled.

Mia glanced at me. "How about additional fee for more effective charms and prayers?"

"Sounds good, doesn't work." I shook my head. "A miko has to be fair on her job."

"Yeah, yeah. Beating up every single youkai you met on your way sure is fair."

"Want a little side _burn_ on that face?"

"Geez girl, chill out."

"A Fire-Bending Immortal asking me to chill. How classic."

* * *

"Ah, it's you three-ze. Come in, come in!"

After eating our lunch – Mokou and Mystia have to make another plates for Reimu and Keine – we headed to our last destination: The Forest of Magic. We decided to check on Alice's doll stand at her house. Since we can't enter it by flying above, we have to walk our way inside. Apparently, since Marisa was helping Alice with the preparation, she's been staying at her house for a couple days.

"Please, make yourselves at home!"

Reimu sighed. "You're acting as if we're in your own home."

"Oh come on… what's so bad about a little hospitality once in a while-ze?" The magician laughed. "Anyway, Alice's still busy with her stuff upstairs. Y'all can wait at that sofa over there."

Suddenly, Reimu wore a devious smile. "Well then, a cup of tea for me please."

Marisa looked confused. "Heh, what?"

"Mia, would you like some drink? How about you, Keine?"

"I, well… hmm…" I smirked. "You know, I've been feeling for some milk, actually."

"Uhm, gals?"

"I'd rather… I think I'll wait for Alice to come here." Said Keine, unsure.

"Okay then, a tea for you too. Make it quick, please." Reimu said, crossing her arms.

"Wait right there-ze." Marisa held her palms, looked at us with utter confusion. "What's the meaning of this? I'm not your so-called _servant_. Nu-uh, haven't plunged that deep yet."

All of a sudden, a faint voice was heard from the upstairs.

" _Marisa, do we have a guest?"_

"That's Alice." Marisa mumbled before she shouted. "It's just Reimu, Mia and Keine-ze!"

" _Oh… then please tell them to wait, okay? In the meantime, could you make them some drink?"_

"H-Huh?! B-But-!"

" _You haven't really helped me with anything significant anyway. It's the least you could do for mooching over my food."_

"Well, well, the mistress has spoken, _miss servant_." Reimu's smirk went even larger. "Now come on, get your lazy butt to the kitchen. Chop-chop, or something like that."

Realized that she couldn't win, Marisa resigned herself to her fate. "Damn. Fine, fine!"

As we sit down I reminisced about the talk we had at the food cart earlier.

…

" _An unknown youkai roaming around the village?" Reimu asked._

 _The three of us just finished eating our lunch, when Mokou decided to start a topic. Apparently, she overheard it from the villagers when she and Yanto picked Keine up a couple days ago. Weirdly enough, Keine hasn't heard of it before._

" _Yeah. They said this apparition shaped like a beautiful woman in white dress, having long black hair which reached to her feet." She explained. "She roams at night, and apparently feast on people's body organ."_

" _Woman on white…" Keine muttered. "I can't think of any specific youkai who looks like your description."_

" _There isn't?" I looked at her in confusion._

" _More like there's too much." Reimu explained. "Youkai these days could wear any dress they want. Even if you list 'every youkai who feast on human', the list is still too long."_

" _Are you sure it isn't some new urban legend?" She asked again._

" _That's what I don't know for sure." The Immortal shrugged. "Nobody could give any precise description of it. There's got to be one or two points where their words contradicted each other."_

" _Then it's highly possible that it's another urban legend." Reimu concluded. "We have to find the source soon, or else it'll turn into new incident."_

" _Wait, everyone…" Mystia interrupted. "I think I've heard of it before."_

" _You have?" Keine asked in surprise. "How come you didn't tell us?"_

" _I was unsure if it was the same rumors or not, since what I heard was too weird to be true." She admitted. "Two of my costumer from the village heard it second or third-hand. They said it was a ghost of a woman who died while pregnant, or woman who gave birth in her grave."_

" _Wait, 'ghost'? Mokou said it was a youkai." I interrupted._

" _Ah, well… that's also another thing still in blur." Mokou admitted. "Nobody knows who, or in this case what, the apparition actually is. Another thing is that nobody ever saw her in the first place or where the rumor cane from."_

" _Oh, and there's something else." Mystia added. "The customers said the youkai have two distinct appearance. One is a woman with a nail on top of its head. The second, is that the woman's back was…"_

" _Her back was…" Mokou echoed._

"… _that her back was hollow. When she moves her long hair away, you could see through her stomach and notice that there's no organs, instead there was blood and maggots all over it."_

 _I'm sure that most of us were shivered at the image. Even for the immortal, this was something she rarely heard._

" _Wait, Mystia, this is just a guess…" Mokou said. "But is it the reason why you're closing up earlier lately?"_

 _The three of us looked at the two quizzically. The Night Bird hesitated before she answered. "Yes, that's because I don't want to be attacked. Another thing about the one with the hollowed-back, they said that she will come to a random food stand in the middle of the night. Then, she'll ask to buy 100 portion of food! After she finished it all – they said she eats like a tornado – she'll ask for more. Then if I told her there isn't any, she'll show me her empty stomach!"_

" _Then… she'll attack you?" the teacher asked._

 _The night bird paused before she answered. "…I don't know about that part yet. They haven't told me anything else aside from what I've told you. But surely the ghost will attack me, right? If not, why would she came in the first place?!"_

" _Gee, what a weird youkai." Mokou commented. "And a rather creepy one too."_

" _Yes. I mean, nobody wants dine and dash youkai without stomach. I'll be bankrupt!"_

" _Hmm…" Reimu muttered, deep in thought. "If it's just a pregnant woman, then I could point out the culprit was actually an_ Ubume _. But after you said that, it's becoming more urban legend rather than a simple apparition."_

…

To tell you the truth, I believe I know what the youkai's real form is, but I hesitated to tell them. If my guess was correct, then this apparition was the one came from our country. But if that was correct, Yanto and I could be suspected for its appearance.

What made me even more certain was that there isn't just one, but _two_ of our ghost with characteristics similar to it. In the end, the topic shifted already with the conclusion was Keine and Reimu decided to keep an eye on the village more.

Getting bored at waiting, I decided to take a look at the interior. Surprisingly for a house in the middle of Japanese nowhere, it was styled like European house from the 18th century or so. The furniture, the brick walls and the paints, everything screams of Western. The rumor of her coming from Bucharest probably wasn't so far-fetched after all.

What appealed for me the most was the quality of her wooden dolls decorating the room. The dress was probably the one who caught my eyes first. I often went to old relative house on weekdays, so I had a share of knowledge about how dolls and their clothes were made back in the days. This one, the simplest one as it gets, doesn't have that thin, cheap rag-like texture they usually have. If I have to choose a sentence, it might felt like a high-end wedding dress from a 5-star hotel.

Another thing was their face. Calling it human-like was an understatement. A lot of dolls tried too hard on being human. Some were doing a pretty good job, some became the ghost in those 80's horror movie instead. It was also far from anime-like, like what you expect from Action Figure or Nendoroid. These… I can't find a word that do justice to it. How can someone fill those eyes with such… soul, such life?

"Hmm?"

Something caught my interest on the corner of my eyes. A slightly opened cabinet of a wooden rack. Curiosity took me as I went and look. Halfway opening it I saw a glance of a portrait, showing the legs of 3 skirt-wearing people. I was going to take it before I heard footsteps coming from the back. In a hurry I closed it again and went back to the sofa.

Shortly after, the puppeteer and her magician friend came – Marisa was still scowling when she brought the tray. The blonde woman apologized for the wait and introduced herself. First impression I got was that of a calm person, definitely not the chatty-type. The conversation then took turn into how she will perform behind her stand.

"While I control my dolls, Marisa would help me on the equipment such as the lighting, sound effects and so on." She explained over a cup of tea. "Is there any questions, Hanamia?"

"Just call me Mia, please, and just one." I nodded. "You don't happen to fill your dolls with dangerous materials such as gun powders or explosives, don't you?"

She paused before chuckling. "Why should I, I wonder. It is not as if I would fight against a thief of some kind."

Marisa grimaced. "Somehow I was hurt, even though you don't specify anyone-ze."

"It was good to be self-conscious, you know." Reimu said between the sip of her drink.

"What can I get from your run-down shrine, anyway?" Marisa countered.

"Anything except your dignity, I suppose."

"You have a dignity-ze? That's a surprise."

"Want a little _dignity_ on that face?"

"Um, Well… nevertheless…" Keine interrupted, avoiding the soon-to-erupt volcano between the two. "You could guarantee that none of your equipment could be any harm for anyone, right?"

Alice who content with watching the banter since earlier gave us a nod. "I suppose I won't need to use any harmful device in my performance. But still, I always bring the doll's fighting gear if, and only if, the unexpected happen."

"I think that's good enough." I nodded. "Then, I think we could-"

"Wait, Mia." Reimu interrupted. "Alice, is the thing done yet?"

"The 'thing?'" She raised an eyebrow. Shortly, Alice punched her palm in realization. "Oh, 'that'. You're just in time, in fact. I was just finished in giving the finishing touch before you came. Just a moment."

After the puppeteer excused herself to the back, I asked. "What is it?"

"You'll see-ze." Marisa grinned. "It's a surprise."

I wondered in confusion, but my thought was short-lived when Alice came back with a set of Japanese dress on her hand. Already seeing the patterns, I stood up.

"Oh no." I shook my head. "Please, this is too much, everyone."

"Huh? What do you mean, Mia?"

I gazed at Reimu in confusion. Why did she give me those stare? Did I just falsely reacted to it, hoping that it was meant to be a gift for me? Oh my god, this is so awkward!

Suddenly, everyone laughed, leaving me in yet another utter confusion.

"Oh, Mia, you should see your face right now." Said the miko in-between her laugh. "You're not wrong, though. This is for you."

Reimu waved for Alice to come closer. The puppeteer then displayed her work: a light-blue yukata with a design of white flowers on the lower to the middle part. On the shoulder hanged a layer of orange fabric which would become the obi.

"I designed it based on your everyday garment. Thanks to Marisa for giving me the details. Though, I should admit the blue really complements your beautiful orange hair. So then, let's try it on!"

It took me a few seconds to get me out of my daze. I was so surprised that I stuttered a few times. "W-W-Wait a second, wait a s-second!" I held my palms. "I-I, um… I thank you for this but… but why?"

"Mia-san."

Keine raised from her sitting and came to me. She tapped my left shoulder with such gentleness that was able to calm my nerves astonishingly.

"Here in Gensoukyou, it was rare for us to meet new Outsiders. Even more so the one who didn't hesitate to have a conversation with. I as one of the teacher and the bridge between the villagers and the Outsider, sometimes having difficulty in understanding what they want and what they need. So, meeting you here was a great occurrence."

"What she meant…" Marisa added. "…is that you're a good friend, ya know. It's hard to find Outsider that will easily bond with us at the flick of the finger-ze. You and Yanto were quite a rare bunch."

"That's why when we heard that you were going back…" Reimu continued. "…we thought of giving you a farewell gift. Long story short, this is it."

Everything was going too fast for me to comprehend. No matter how hard I tried, any words of rejection won't come out of my mouth. In the end, my only respond was: "Is this okay… for me?"

"F'sure, gal! Geez, that's what we've been tellin' you-ze!"

My thought came back to the time when Remilia gave me her necklace. Did I actually want to reject it in the first place? Do I have any reasons to? Unconsciously, my mouth flipped into a smile.

"Thank you… everyone."

X-X-X-X

 _The girls are changing. Please wait warmly._

"Um… Alice?"

"Yes?"

"Are you sure this is not… tight enough already? I've already feeling quite… stuffy."

"No, it's not. Everyone wear yukata this way. I suppose you haven't had a chance to wear one until now?"

"Well, not exactly. I once wore a traditional outfit for school festival, but even that wasn't as tight-fitting as this."

"I see. Now hold still while I wrap it one… last…"

"No, no, wait! I think it's already-"

"…TIME!"

"GYAAAH!"

X-X-X-X

After another tightening and loosening with Alice in her room, I came out to the other three to show my new look. It was quite easy to know how different I was in their eyes while I'm in yukata compared to my usual hoodie and jeans. Their brightening expression gave it away.

"Wow… and I thought 'everybody looks good in yukata' was an overstatement-ze. That looks radical!"

"It's beautiful! It's almost as if you're turning into someone else!"

I was honestly overjoyed by their comment. Finally after some time, Reimu talked.

"I think you'll understand when you look at yourself. Come here."

She took me to another part of the house, followed by the others. At one of the corner, there's a tall mirror and she took me there. I almost tripped when I saw myself at the mirror. To say I looked different was… an understatement.

The yukata wrapped itself around my body like another layers of skin; naturally fitting without any hint of immodesty. The orange obi was in contrast with the dress's color, complementing each other. Most of my hair was tied up in a bun, while the right side was left longer than the others until it reached my chest. Alice found a way to use the pendant as a makeshift hair decoration, hanging on the left side of the bun.

"Wow…"

Alice smiled. "Thank you for your compliment."

"This is… this is me? I, there's no way I could possibly…"

… _that I could possibly look this charming._

"This is you, Mia. Not anybody else." Reimu showed me one of her rare, warm smile. "By the way, Alice, are those flower patterns Anemone?"

The puppeteer nodded. "Yes, though I never thought you were one interested in them, Reimu."

"I might not looked as feminine as you thought, but I'm still a woman, you know." She sweat-dropped.

"Mia…" Keine called. "Do you know what Anemone means in flower language?"

I tilted my head. "What is it?"

"It means 'sincere', Mia."

Later I would find out why this holds much more meaning than before. 'Sincere' in Indonesian was translated into 'tulus' or 'ikhlas', which roughly means the same thing. But if you put two particles me- and –kan and sandwich 'ikhlas' between them, it would hold another meaning entirely. 'Mengikhlaskan' means to accept something with all one's heart and soul. It could be used when you have to accept the fact that someone have to part ways with you. Just like how Yanto will left me, staying in this land.

Though for now, I didn't think much of it. "Thank you." I said to them for the umpteenth time.

* * *

The sky was already turn into orange. Flock of birds were flying back into their nest, the people were tidying up their store, and the sun was waving her last goodbye of the day to the moon on the other side of horizon.

After we flew back to the village, we decided to take a walk back to the shrine. We still have some time before sunset, and we felt for having a leisure walk back. Keine said she would keep the yukata for the time being since wearing it straight from the shrine would be quite troubling. I asked her to come for dinner – Reimu didn't pay much heed, so I think it's fine – but she rejected it, saying she already asked by Mokou earlier.

…

" _I just hope she won't give me another serving of her super-hot dish again."_

…

*sigh* If only I remembered to wrap one to bring back for dinner. Too bad Reimu and Keine can't stand it.

"You know, Reimu…" I called. "I think it'll be better if you move your shrine from here."

"Huh? Why's that?"

"'Cause I'll get cramp soon."

15 minutes plus just to walk these stairs! No wonder people avoiding it!

"Tell that to my ancestor." The miko shrugged. "After all, it'll bring much trouble for me, especially regarding the Hakurei Barrier." She glanced back. "Most of us can fly already, so it's not the main problem in the first place."

I raised an eyebrow. "You do realize that most of your visitor come from the village, right? The place where the number of people who could play reached next to none?"

"A-Ah… I guess you're right." She dropped a sweat. "Still, my earlier point still stand."

We almost reached the torii gate. Before that, I decided to say it once and for all.

"Reimu… I want to say thanks."

"What for?" She asked without looking back.

"For today, and the days before. Ever since I came here, you've been treating us very well. Earlier too, even though you said it was for the sake of matsuri, I knew my part of the job could be done by just anyone." I stated. Then, I lowered my body for a bow. "So I'll say it again. Thank you for what you did for me."

Reimu stopped by her track, right below the gate. She turned back to me, her face was obscured by the setting sun, making it hard to read her expression.

"It was Yanto's idea."

My eyes widened in confusion. "What… do you mean?"

"*sigh* I promised not to say this…" She face-palmed. "Yanto was the one who asked me to show you around. There were two objectives, but I'll cut to the last. He wanted to make you sure that he'll be fine living here, that this land isn't as bad as you thought."

She sighed for the second time. "Seriously. Even though I said 'It's not like it'll be her last time here. I'm sure Yukari would let her visit you if she isn't asleep' he still begged me like his live was on the line. That cousin of yours could be really pushy if he want to."

I didn't notice my jaw has been hanging for some time now. Reimu's face shifted for a smirk. "You don't have to worry. I'll look for that idiot until he could take care of himself. You could go back without worry-HWA!"

* * *

Emotion took control of Mia's body as she lunged herself to Reimu for a hug. The miko, unable to do anything, was left flabbergasted at the teen's advance.

"Thank you… thank you…" Mia said in-between her tears.

Realizing her new friend's sudden burst, the miko rubbed the teens' back in a calming manner, smiled. "There, there… too many thanks isn't good, you know."

"Still…" She sobbed. "Thank you…"

"Ssh… if you want to say it, tell that to him. Okay?"

The teen nodded slowly. Shortly after calming down, they broke the hug. Their peace was short when suddenly a voice came from the back of the shrine.

"I did not put it!"

"Yes you did!"

"It's not true!"

The two looked in confusion. From the back, came the math teacher and another woman. She has pinkish-red eyes and matching pink, shoulder-length hair adorned with double buns. She wore a brown front panel with thorny vine motif over a white shirt and a green skirt. On her chest was a large, pink rose ornament that seems to grow there. While her right arm was bandaged all over like it was wounded from serious burn injury, wrapping around her left wrist was a prisoner-like shackle.

She is The One-Armed Horned Hermit, Ibaraki Kasen.

"It's bullsh*t! I did not put it, I DID NOT!" Yelled the man as he walked with the woman and saw the two. "Oh, hi girls!"

"Yanto, what happened?" Asked his cousin. "Don't tell me you put yourself in trouble just because it'll look amusing at the end… again?"

"No I didn't. Don't even ask." He disputed. "Anyway, how's your walk today?"

"Don't even try to divert the conversation." Kasen said, annoyed. "Reimu, I can't believe you let this man lives here with you. No offense, miss…"

"Hanamia. I'm his cousin."

"…miss Hanamia, but your cousin here almost make me choke myself to death!"

The miko and the teen gazed in utter confusion and disbelief.

"He did what?!" Reimu shouted. "Yanto, puking on someone's head was bad enough, now attempted murder?!"

"Yanto, you…" Mia mumbled. "You fell down too deep. I can't believe you…"

"Look, girls, it's bullsh*t, I tell you." He tried to convince the two. "I didn't do it! She made it up just to blame someone, which happens to be me. You girls have got to believe me!"

"Hah… what a story, jerk." The hermit rolled her eyes. "Who else I got to blame except the one who put the chili on my dish?!"

"Put the… wait a second." Reimu interrupted. "So, the point of the problem is… chili?"

"That's right! Even though I said not to make the food too spicy, he went and gave me one ULTRA HOT DISH!" Kasen yelled in anger.

"Which is why it's impossible! Yanto argued. "We ran out of chili for the day anyway, so I went and make it mild for everybody! That's why there's no way I did it, you just choke yourself by chewing too fast, is all!"

"Listen here, young man. I know my own tongue and it tells me that you're lying! Now confess yourself before I put down the judgment with my own right…" She paused. "My left hand!"

Reimu has started to get annoyed, evidence from how she gripped her gohei even harder. Mia noticed this, and decided to step in. "Okay, okay, settle down everyone." She interrupted the banter before she turned to her cousin. "Yanto, you said the chili's gone for the day?"

"Yeah." He nodded.

"Then show me your hand."

At this, he grew subtly pale. "W-Why should you do that? I don't hide anything in it. Just look!" The man said as he opened his palm.

The teen quickly became impatient as she pulled his right hand closer. She drew it closer to her face before she snuff it. "There's no mistaking it. It's chili."

There was a moment of silent seconds after Mia revealed the truth. Finally, the hermit snapped. "You liar… and I intended to go easy on you if you just tell the truth."

"Wait, wait, I can explain!" Yanto held his palms. "Okay, fine. I admit I used some chili, but only on my plate! Even if I do, those things didn't feel spicy at all! …or maybe because I gave the plate to the wrong… sh*t."

"You…" Kasen grumbled. "YOU!"

"HIEI! Gotta run!"

"COME BACK HERE!"

"YAAAAH!"

And off they go, running around the shrine like dog and cat. The miko and the teen could only look from the sidewalk, mostly because they didn't care.

"HELP!" Shouted the teacher. All the while, he waved to one of the bush on the shrine ground. "Oh, hi doggie!"

"ACCEPT YOUR LESSON!"

Finally, Reimu spoke. "So, should we help them? Your call."

The teen glanced with a smirk. "Too much of a hassle. 'Sides, he gotta learn if he wanted to live here, right?"

"Touché."

Another calm day passed in Gensoukyou, making the way for the night. Meanwhile, the participants are busy preparing themselves for the big matsuri tomorrow. What awaits them there? Find out next chapter!

 **[Wrap Sign…]**

"I knew I'm gonna get the spell card treatment again today…"

 **["Prosthetic Arm Proteus!"]**

"GYAAAH!"

That is… if the protagonist could survive the onslaught.

* * *

 **That's it for this chapter! Phew, finally able to cut the thread of laziness from myself was a big achievement.**

 **So yeah, it's pretty much the continuation for the chapter before. Still no fighting scene in this one, hopefully I don't disappoint you. Maybe I should put another category beside adventure?**

 **It's been… what, weeks since I last updated, probably. It's not that I'm not interested in it anymore, oh no. I still got a lot of ideas for this one. It's just hard to squeeze motivation to actually move your fingers, open a certain folder where a certain chapter was put, and typewrite the heck out of it. Really, lately my bed has more gravitational pull than Emma Watson, and I'm not asexual.**

 **So, for the next month, I probably will got a lot of free time 'cause of end of semester. I'll see if I could move out from the bed and start writing again.**

 **Well, I guess that's all for the author's note, got nothing else to say. Until next time, then. By the way, I wonder whose doggie Yanto waved at…**

* * *

 _Epilogue…_

After the main door was closed, the mansion's residence parted ways. One Patchouli Knowledge walked slowly back to her library…

"Patche?"

…if her blood-sucking friend hadn't called her so suddenly.

"Remi?" The magician turned her head as slightly as possible. "Do you need something?"

"The lunch's going to be ready soon. Would you wait with me at the table?" The vampire asked, standing beside her trustworthy servant.

Patchouli stared at her for a moment before she smiled. "Sorry. There still some experiment I need to conduct. You can go without me."

Others would thought that Remilia would be, at the very least, peeved at her longtime friend's attitude. Instead, being used to such situation already, she only smirked. "Oh, well. Suit yourself, then."

"I shall take your lunch to the library later, Miss Patchouli." The maid added.

"There's no need." The magician refused. "We'll be busy for hours. Koakuma will take it la-" She paused, changing her mind. "On a second thought, you could leave our lunch at the door. We'll eat after we're done."

"As you wish." Sakuya curtly bowed.

"Just don't work too hard, okay? You said your asthma's been going worse lately." Remilia reprimanded.

"To tell you the truth, I've been feeling better today. Thanks for the concern."

And with that, the magician floated away.

Moments later, she arrived at the library's entrance. It was a huge wooden door, standing at an astonishing 20 meters from the ground. Its carving was so intricate, it was impossible to think that any person had the capability to finish even one-fourth of it. Without slowing down, the magician muttered some incoherent words. Without warning, both leaves opened inside loudly as if welcoming its mistress. As soon as Patchouli entered, the door shut itself.

For the untrained eye, the inside looks more like a massive labyrinth rather than a library. Dozens and dozens of bookshelf standing here and there, not to mention they were more than two-third the door's height. For the mistress of the library, of course this was no trouble at all. Even if she forget, the ceiling was much, much higher.

When she arrived at the center of the room, she was met with the sight of her familiar. Her black and white attire was a nice addition inside the scarlet-filled library. She was standing near a round table, piling up the books scattered all over it. When the devil heard the sound of her mistress, she turned to the sky.

"Mistress Patchouli!" She greeted with a smile. Her long, red hair fluttered as her head moved. "The preparations are almost done. I just need to lift these books to their place and-"

"Thank you, Koakuma…" The magician interjected. "…but you could just put those on the side for now. After we're done, I want to continue reading them again."

The devil paused, her face's a shock. "A-All of them? Even the ones I already put on the shelves?"

"Yes."

The devil drooped, realizing that her hard work had been a waste. "I'll bring them to you later, Mistress…"

The lavender woman landed near the table. Shortly after putting the books away, her familiar joined on her left. Without order from her master, Koakuma reached to her vest pocket and pulled out two pieces of white handkerchief before giving it to Patchouli.

"Good thinking. The cloth should absorb any impurity coming from us." She praised before she noticed her familiar's expression. "Does you head still hurt?"

"Uuu… actually…" The devil moaned, rubbing a part of her temple near the left wing. "…I think there's a bump on my head already. I don't think those books would land on my head, even if it was just an act."

"Again, good thinking. If not because your act of bumping against her, we probably wouldn't get this sample."

"Mmhh… thank you, Mistress…" Koakuma forced a pained smile.

Patchouli unfolded the white clothes on top of the table, revealing a single strand of hair wrapped inside each cloth.

"Mistress Patchouli, does such accuracy really needed?" Her familiar asked out of curiosity. "I mean, I thought it was enough to just shove it in my pocket, but you'd go as far as made me wear gloves to pick it up."

"We still don't know for sure, but we couldn't afford to be careless now. We knew that human ancestry could be traced from their body sample. What we don't know if youkai and devil leaves similar trace."

"Still, to think that even a touch could undermine the result…"

The magician glanced at her familiar. "It was still a possibility, but not one I would put my bet on. Now, the book?"

"Ah, just a moment."

Koakuma rushed down the shelf. Moments later, she arrived with a rather thick book with leather cover. The magician took it and scrolled over the page in a swift manner. While doing so, the devil prepared the table. She moved one handkerchief along with the hair to the middle, while the other one she put near her mistress. Around it, she arranged 8 pieces of candle near the edges of the table.

"Wait."

Just about the devil was ready to light the candles, her mistress interrupted.

"Use a match. We don't want our own magic to interfere with the result."

Koakuma nodded. When the preparation was finished Patchouli found the page she wanted. Hovering her right hand on top of the hair, she scanned the book and read it in fast, incomprehensible language. As her magic energy flowed to her glowing palm, lines and circles began to appear in purple on the table. The lines connecting the candles while the circles surrounding the hair. Soon writings began to appear, the faint glow grew brighter. The magic circle has been finished.

"Starting from now, I will call the ingredient I sorted yesterday to you. When I do, put them exactly where I told you to." Patchouli ordered with eyes closed, her concentration unfaltered.

"Yes!" Koakuma nodded.

 _Meanwhile, in another place at the mansion…_

"This is my fault…"

A girl holed up on top of her bed. Darkness filled the room, mirroring her uneasiness.

"I should've keep silent. I shouldn't say anything to anyone."

A sudden slip of tongue was heard by the magician. With regret, she had no choice but to tell them the truth.

"Even though Sakuya said it's impossible… but the taste in my tongue won't lie!"

She wrapped her legs closer to her chest. A determination filled her heart.

"I can't say anything to Mia because Sakuya's with her, but at the matsuri!" Her gaze hardened. "The two of them… Yanto-sensei and Sakuya must be…!"

The thick walls muted her sound. Silently, she thought of a plan.

The determined, the curious, the oblivious and the one who resigned herself to fate, all in one place. Will the truth show herself to everyone… or would it even show in the first place?


	18. Chapter 18 - Extra

**Disclaimer : Touhou and all its characters are belonged by ZUN** **and Team Shanghai Alice** **. I only own my OCs and this story. Any similarities on any parts of the story with another fanfic are unintended.**

 **Chapter** **18 : Extra – A Peaceful Day, When Would It Come?**

* * *

A bright mid-morning at the shrine. Perfect time for a certain man to sit on the front porch, gazing to the non-existent line on the horizon. His face's a perfect description of nothingness.

Well, more like 'laziness' but you get my point.

"*yawn* Got nothing to do… Reimu and Mia just left after breakfast, and now I gotta wait for the meeting's attendant."

Silently, he wondered why should he said the fact.

"The meeting's still long anyway…" He glanced at his watch. "*sigh* Guess I'll take a nap then!"

And off he goes, laying down on the veranda without any care of this world. The morning sun and the summer wind really helped fading his consciousness away. As his mind drifted to the dream world, he suddenly noticed a faint sound.

*SCHRACK*

His consciousness came back. With one eye, the math teacher glanced sideways to look for the proprietor…

"Hmm?"

…only to find nothing except the sound of bushes and leaves being swayed away.

" _Probably just the wind…"_ He thought, and goes back to sleep.

That is, if he could actually sleep again. For the past 30 minutes, he's been rolling and rolling, trying to find the best position. Once he even tried to sit by the pole, only for the sun to shine directly onto his face.

"Dammit…" He finally gave up and decided to find something else to do. He rubbed his chin in thought, until it suddenly came to him.

"Game it is, then." He smiled lazily as he walked inside.

30 minutes of playing, means 30 minutes of endless dying-and-repeating, at least from his perspective. Not to worry, for at least he found himself some sort of entertainment to fill the time.

"What the heck…" the man mumbled. "I guess it's true what they said about Kanako's Last Spell is harder on Easy than Norm-huh?"

Another sound coming from the back of the shrine. Rather than dying because of those small-but-annoying sound disturbance, he decided to pause.

Yanto walked slowly, trying not to make much noise so that he wouldn't look suspicious. Though it might be too late for that, he mused. Looking left to right, he then noticed the first look of the culprit.

" _Too easy…"_ He let out a sigh. _"How many years of luck did I waste, I wonder."_

He stopped in front of a rather thick shrubs. Trying to hold back his face-palm, he voiced. "You can come out now. I know you're there."

The bush shook slightly at his voice, but the culprit hasn't gave up yet, and neither does he.

"You don't wanna mess with me, you know. I know kung-fu, karate, silat, and 15 more dangerous words. If you don't wanna have a bad-…" he paused, reluctant to reuse the reference. "*cough* I mean… either you come out, or I have to pull you out by force. How about that?"

Finally, the voice asked faintly. "H-How did you notice?"

"You gotta lower your head…" He said, pointing at his own crown. "…just a tad more."

Shortly after, the proprietor stood up with a pout. A greyish horn stood up from her long, sea foam-colored hair which looked unique in Yanto's eyes. They were multi-layered, the longest reached past her waist. Another shoulder-length layer was beneath them and very curled at the end. Her bangs were also curled. She also has a pair of greyish, magatama-shaped ears. She wore a red collared shirt with white cloud designs which make it looks like a Hawaiian Shirt. Her white short were also filled with the same clouds, albeit red-colored.

Yanto blinked, not knowing who the girls in front of him was. From how she looked, it was obvious that she's a youkai or, at least, not human. Either she is a character from the games in the future, or this is the first not-in-game character he met.

" _An oni? Though, she doesn't have that air of toughness like Suika. Maybe another type of youkai, amanojaku maybe?"_ He wondered. "Um… may I ask who you-"

"Intruder!"

That shocked him. As he backed slightly, the green-eyed advanced forward, pointing her finger at the man. "It's been two weeks of you freeloading at the shrine, and I finally have the chance of confronting you alone. I don't know what you want to do with Miss Reimu, but I'm not going to just stand still!"

"E-Eh? What do you mean by that?" He confused. "More importantly, I'm not having any bad intention at all, and I'm not even freeloading!"

"You can't lie to me." Her gaze hardened, but somehow he isn't threatened by an inch. "Miss Reimu and Miss Marisa might be deceived, but your act won't fool me!"

The woman jumped high and landed to his side, making quite the gap between the two. His instinct told him to be careful, but it's hard when you don't know what to expect. It's even harder when your opponent is possibly much stronger than you.

"Even if I don't agree with violence, I can't be silent at the face of an intruder." She pulled out a card. The sakura petal design was in contrast with the sea foam-colored background. "If you intend to bother Miss Reimu any longer, as this shrine's guardian beast, I'll give you no mercy!"

Yanto widened his eyes when in a flash of light, the woman made a copy of herself! The youkai curled her fist in front of her chest, while her clone took the same stance.

 **[Koma Sign…]** Both chanted. **[…"Solitary A-Um Breathing!"]**

" _Oh boy…"_ He thought as he laughed in desperation.

* * *

 ***PICHUUN!***

"Gaah!"

The one-sided assault finally ended. The youkai descended from her flight and landed in front of the laying teacher. Her face is the perfect example of bewilderment.

"That's weird." She wondered. "I thought you were stronger than you look, not the other way around. That's why I shot you with one of my stronger spell."

"*cough* God, that hurt." The man winced while trying to stand up. "That's what I told you. I don't even have the strength to fight against you, so how can I win against Reimu?"

"But you haven't told me anything."

"That's because you didn't give me the chance."

"Still, you haven't told me anything."

" _Resist, Yanto… resist the face-palm."_ He thought to himself. "Fine, fine, you win. Now, do you believe me? I don't intend to do bad things to Reimu or even the shrine. I'm just staying here for the meantime."

"Hmm… that's true, you don't have a chance even if Miss Reimu only pulled her weakest spell." Said the youkai. "Still, I have to know who you are and what are you doing in this shrine."

"Fine by- wait, you mean you don't know?" He asked in confusion.

She shook her head. "No, that's why I'm asking you."

" _Sh*t, worst guardian ever."_ He thought. "Okay, okay. Give it your best shot."

The youkai nodded. "Your Name?"

"Yanto Bahar."

"Age?"

"Still young."

"Sex?"

"Never."

"Occupation?"

The banter between the horned youkai and the man continued. In the meantime, Yanto prepared teas and some oranges for them to enjoy at the porch. In the middle of it, he came to a realization.

" _Having tea and chatting after a fight? Heh, I'm learning Gensoukyou's culture already."_

"So… Aunn the Komainu, huh? Doesn't that those lion-dog-like statues you found in front of the shrine sometimes?" He asked in-between his oranges.

"Well… yes, I suppose. Despite my appearance, I'm the guardian deity of this shrine. Though, you can just call me Komanu." She took a sip of her tea. "Wow, you're quite good with your tea."

"Thanks. Perks of living alone, I guess." He blushed slightly. "Still, I never thought this shrine actually have someone protecting it, less a deity like you."

"How rude! Even like this, this is a nice shrine! Can't you feel the calm, refreshing aura surrounding it? That's a proof of a blessed shrine!"

"Sorry, sorry." He laughed. "Just… I never heard Reimu or Marisa said anything about you, so I'm kind of surprised."

"Well, maybe… because we haven't talked yet."

This raised one of his eyebrows. "You mean, you haven't meet her? Even though you're guarding her shrine?"

"W-Well…" She averted her eyes.

He almost reached to a face-palm, but just before a realization dawned upon him. She's probably just being shy, or maybe Reimu and Marisa just never noticed her before, which is quite weird. From her demeanor, she doesn't streak as someone aggressive, though she could sometimes be high-spirited.

"That's not really good." He said. "You have to talk to them sometimes, you know. Or should I introduce you to them?"

"No, you don't have to bother." She held her palms midair. Her face's a forced smile. "It's okay, I'll talk to them when the time comes."

"Well, if that's what you want." He shrugged. "By the way, doesn't that mean you work for free?"

"Why, yes. You could call it… volunteer work, I suppose?"

Now Yanto felt even more sympathy towards the komainu. His mind ran in thought, searching for a solution until he found one.

"Hey, Komano." He called. "How about I make you some dinner later on? At least for now, I'm in charge of it while Reimu make the lunch. I think we could spare one more plate, how's that sound?"

"E-Eh?! But, but… won't Miss Reimu be mad? I mean, she won't happy if you give me some without her knowing, right?"

" _Wait, she jumped to conclusion already?"_ Yanto laughed. "Now, now. She won't find out one plate missing. Tonight when you smell food, just come to the window near the kitchen so I could give you some."

Komanu blushed, seemingly unaccustomed receiving another person's affection. Shyly, she nodded. "Thank you, Mister Yanto."

"No probs. Just call me Yanto, by the way." He smiled, continued eating his orange. "Oh, I'll also cook today's lunch if you want."

"That is too much already…" The girl covered her blush.

The two continued to sit in silence, enjoying the serenity. Sometimes, the komainu gave Yanto questions, mostly regarding the outside. She seems to have an interest in hearing conditions of Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples outside, and Yanto provide her with the little knowledge he has. He has to thank Wiki later, he mused.

Suddenly, Komanu's ears perked up. "Someone's coming."

Yanto blinked. "You could tell?"

"Yes." She gave a nod. "I'm sorry, Mister Yanto, but I have to go back to guarding the shrine. I shall leave the interior in your care."

"Sure, sure. No need to be so formal, though." He took a sip of his tea, still gazing at the sky. "Just remember to tell Reimu and Marisa about yourself lat- eh?"

When he glanced to where she was sitting, the woman was already gone without a trace. Well, except for her cup and some orange peels.

"I take it back. She's a pro in this." Yanto sighed. Shortly after, a familiar-looking gap opened beside him.

"Oh, having some companies, I see." Said the blonde youkai.

"Just a student's mother coming for a consultation." The man responded lazily.

"Hmm…" Somehow, Yanto could tell that Yukari didn't buy it, but he couldn't care less. "We should be ready for the meeting." She said.

"On it." Yanto stood up, taking the cups to the kitchen. "Say, wanna help me make lunch for the others?"

Yukari raised her eyebrows, slightly surprised by the unusual question. Shortly, she shrugged. "Sure, I could use a muscle or two."

"You ever use it?"

"Shut up."

As they walked to the kitchen, Yukari spoke again. "Regarding him."

"Hmm?"

"He said he wouldn't be able to come today. He still need to practice with the others."

"That's fine. We could just tell them the result of the meeting later." The man shrugged.

"Still, they'll be the main spotlight tomorrow. Shouldn't you worry they might mess the plan up?"

Yanto glanced back at Yukari. Even though she talked with a concerned tone, weirdly enough, her foxy smile never leaves. Though, he couldn't care less.

"Don't know, don't care, don't wanna think about it. 'Sides, he's a natural, and messing stuff as simple as this is the least I expected of him."

Yukari chuckled, seemingly understanding everything. "Very well."

* * *

 **This is something I make when I have some free time in the middle of my never-ending exam. Basically a filler of what happened when Mia and Reimu went out for the survey. Funnily I finished this one even before chapter 17 was.**

 **Touhou 16 and 15.5 Trial is out already, and I can't wait to play the full game. Though, I might not be able to put the game's story into this fanfic since time difference and all, I figured maybe I could introduce one of the new character here instead.**

 **I still don't know the details of Komanu's ability yet, so I have to make the action minimal. Also, according to ZUN's music commentary, she also has a tail even though it doesn't shown in the game. For the sake of accuracy, I decided not to write it. Still, I wonder how it looks. Probably fluffy and long like dog's tail, with extra fluffy fur like her hair. It'll probably be nice to touch…**

 **Guh… must not make the reader thought I like furry or anything like that…**

 **Also, this might come out of nowhere but I'll throw this here. So I've been reviewing this story a couple times, and at the end of it I have quite a solid conclusion:**

 **My writing sucks, big time.**

 **I'm not writing this just to dig your sympathy, oh no. I just feel like compared to another story, mine is still very low-tired. That is why I'll be asking for your help. Please give me a review, any kinds of it is fine but I'll be glad if you took consideration of these things:**

 **1\. My English. You might know already that English isn't my first language. I'll admit that I don't read English novel that much and my knowledge mostly comes from movies, games, and also Internet, which is why it probably doesn't come out as good as you might expected. I need your help to point out where did I go wrong and how should I fix this.**

 **2\. My writing style. There's just something different, something like the 'taste' when I read other's writing that feels very different from mine. What I felt when I read this story was it felt like a blatant description, compared to the work of art you could found almost anywhere. Same as the above, feel free to correct mine and tell me how to improve.**

 **3\. The story. Probably won't help much since I've already had a main story line I want to follow. Still, if there's something bugging you, for example a character's behavior that doesn't quite fit or if you found a plot hole, please let me know.**

 **4\. Anything. If there's anything I forgot to write from the above, don't hesitate. Review or message me, let me know something I needed to know.**

 **I know you felt that I've been asking, begging even, for something too much, but I've got no other place I know I could run my head into. You guys are the first to read my story and pretty much know what the heck is wrong with it. So, well… thank you in advance.**

 **Also, as usual, I put a little extra for my extra, just in case y'all still not satisfied yet. Until next time, then.**

* * *

 _Yesterday…_

"Ack!"

After the fight at the Bamboo Forest, Sakuya was led to Eirin's office at Eientei. The later was bandaging the rabbit's wound after she gave it some of her medication. The rabbit winced slightly from the pain.

"T-Thank you, Master…" Said Reisen, forcing a smile.

"Just don't move too much." Eirin then turned to the maid. "You can sit on that chair over there."

Sakuya glanced at a wooden chair on her left and complied. "Thank you very much."

After sending Reisen to fetch her equipment, the doctor who was sitting behind her desk reached to one of her files. "Izayoi Sakuya…" Eirin examined the file quickly, "…how's your body feel today?"

"Hmm… extra tender, just like how I prefer my steak." She answered.

"Oh, well I hope you bring the sauce, then." Eirin faked a laugh. "Jokes aside, I'll take it that you've recovered from the day you passed out."

Sakuya slightly glad that at least someone didn't refer that day as 'The day Izayoi Sakuya lost to a mere Outsider' but she kept it for herself. "A week is quite a long time."

"Indeed it is." Eirin fixes her glasses, still looking at the files. "No sign of it arising again?"

"Sign… like?"

"Light-headed, slight-headache, swirling or sudden blindness after getting up from your chair… I don't know, you tell me."

Sakuya pouted slightly, remembering the last week. Failed to found anything, she replied. "It did not appear to be so. As a matter of fact, I have feeling much better than before."

"That was to be expected. My medication was proven to be effective." Eirin closed the file and took off her glasses.

" _Did she called me here just to brag about her drugs?"_ Sakuya sweat-dropped.

"Nevertheless, there is no single medication that could cure every disease. An ailment could only be cured if you give it the right remedy. An off-the-mark prescription, at the best scenario, would only leave you uncured of your sickness, worse if it also worsening your condition." Eirin explained.

The maid blinked. "Are you saying that you've been giving me the wrong drugs?"

"I never said that I did." the doctor shook her head slightly. "What I'm saying is that maybe I've overlooked some things. That time I only brought my simple set of device and was unable to examine your body more thoroughly."

"After I re-read your data which I wrote from my memories…" She tapped the table where the file was, "…I've come to a conclusion that there might be an indication of you infected by another disease, possibly one I haven't met before."

This raised Sakuya's attention. Not only did she want no more burden piling up on her body, having another thing which could make her helpless is indeed a bad thing, especially in her field of work where fitness is almost everything.

She decided not to imagine how the mansion would fare without her in charge of anything house-keeping related.

"Worry not." Said the doctor, as if noticing the maid's worry. "I specifically called you here today to run you a series of test. Hopefully we could determine the disease and wipe it out completely." Eirin smiled. "Don't worry, while the curing process might take some time, the test wouldn't cost you a minute."

Sakuya looked unsure. "I really appreciate the thought, Doctor. But, I'm afraid I could not afford to be here for long. You see, there still some duty left at the mansion which is why I have to be there soon."

"Oh…" the Lunarian looks slightly disappointed. "…well, there's always the second option."

"Second option?" the maid echoed.

Eirin reached to one of her cabinet and pulled out a syringe. "Since we can't run a test, then I should take some sample. If you don't mind, that is."

Sakuya, for a time-manipulating maid who handles knife and other sharp objects on daily basis, had actually never been injected before. She was slightly torn between her need for healthiness and hesitation over something she hasn't experienced ever before.

She decided her choice.

"To tell you the truth, one or two drops are enough. But, since there's a possibility of new-found disease, we should put accuracy as the main concern and took a full-"

"Before that…" The grey-haired maid interrupted, "…I wanted to read my data, just for mind-sake. Could you show it to me?"

The silver-haired doctor paused before answering. "Even if you look at it, you won't understand any context inside it."

"Then I'm afraid I'll have to decline your offer, Doctor." Sakuya said as she stood up.

"…and why is it?" Eirin gazed at the woman, grey marbles met with blue.

"Forgive me for my rudeness, for I did not have the slightest attention to offend you." Apologized the maid. "But I could not just sit here, knowing the fact that you could do whatever you want with my drops of blood. Above all that, I was and still Remilia Scarlet's maid & servant, so my responsibility relies on her."

She bowed to the doctor. "I will, however, pass this message to my Mistress to see her responds. Now then, if you would excuse me."

Eirin did nothing to stop Sakuya to leave her office. After the door closed, she rested her head on her two palms, closing her eyes while doing so. "*sigh* So much for the easy way out."

 ***knock* *knock***

"Come in… whoever you are…" mumbled Eirin.

The door opened, revealing a rather short Earth Rabbit Youkai. She has black, wavy shoulder-length hair with her white rabbit ears flopping down to the side, flapping slightly with every steps. She wears pink dress, adored with a necklace with carrot pendant. Just like another earth rabbit, she doesn't wear any forms of footwear.

She is the White Rabbit of Good Fortune, Inaba Tewi.

"I got your arrow back." Said the rabbit. "Still good to go, even though it's kinda hard pulling it from the bamboo." She then put it on the table. The doctor merely looked at it before shoving it aside.

"Well, even if they do break, I still have much stored." Eirin crossed her arms. "Which reminds me… did you find it?"

A smirk. "Do you actually doubting my good luck?"

The rabbit youkai reached for her pocket and gave the item to the Lunarian's palm: a single strand of hair.

"By the way, nice shot. I didn't have any worry that you might failed, though. I swear with my whole bunny heart."

The Lunarian glanced at the fake smile with disinterest, feeling tired to actually pull any retort. She can't remember if she _ever_ retorted to her before.

"Did you meet her on your way here?" Eirin asked, without a tint of worry.

"Nah, but maybe she found Reisen before me." Tewi shrugged. "Even if she did, she won't suspect anything." Then she noticed the file and proceeded to examine it.

"The maid's file…" Tewi muttered while opening it. She raised an eyebrow. "Don't know if she's actually super-clean, or Lunarian actually writes with white ink."

The rabbit tossed it on top of the table, showing a clean piece of paper. There's no single trace of ink on it.

"I should've wrote something there." The Lunarian sighed, rubbing her forehead. "Any gibberish is fine, she could pass it as another moon writing or some sort."

"Eirin… that's why I told you you're not being nice enough to me. My influence is determined by that, you know."

Eirin glared at Tewi, while she simply smirked and laughed.

"Well, don't know what you're going to do with this, though, I won't put my hands on it even if I do." The rabbit shrugged. "But, going through such length just for this? Must be important stuff."

"You will know soon." Eirin said, examining the hair. "For now, I'll do my part of work."


End file.
